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Table 1 Themes emerging from interviews with family carers of people with dementia

From: Why are family carers of people with dementia dissatisfied with general hospital care? a qualitative study

Category

Theme

The person with dementia

Physical and mental health problems

Stage of dementia

Distress behaviours

Previously expressed wishes

Current perceptions and wishes

Quality of life

Family carers

Physical and mental health problems

Exhaustion

Own experiences of hospital

Judgements of benefit of admission and treatment

Relationship with the person with dementia

Relationship with healthcare professionals

Communication with professionals

Level of trust

Accurate information

Ease and amount of individualised contact

Judgment of professionalism

Attitudes towards older people and those with dementia

Convergence in expectations about outcomes

Treatment

Medical and nursing care

Basic hygiene needs

Feeding and cups of tea

Comfort needs and timely response

Number of invasive procedures and necessity for them

Medication, sedation and pain control

Restraint

Multiple bed moves

End-of-life transitions

Family and friends

Geography of family

Ease of access to hospital

Advocacy network

Tensions between members of family and friends

Charities for support

Systems

Bed moves and ward transfers

‘Four hour wait’ target in emergency department*

Signage in emergency department

Visiting times

 

Treatment and advocacy policies

  1. * Government policy that patients attending the emergency department should be assessed, treated and discharged or admitted to a ward within four hours of arrival.