Patient safety

Objectives: this study aims to explore how patient safety in community dementia services is understood by caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Methods: cross-sectional analysis of guided one-to-one interviews with 10 caregivers, and 10 healthcare professionals. Results: caregivers and healthcare professionals identified a range of issues including medication errors, mis-communication between professionals, unclear service pathways and the effects of stress on caregivers’ behaviour.

Medical devices, or instruments or tools to manage disease, are increasingly used in the home, yet there have been limited evaluations of how older adults and caregivers safely use these devices. This study concerns a qualitative evaluation of (1) barriers and facilitators of appropriate use, and (2) outcomes of inappropriate use, among older adults at the transition from hospital to home with skilled home health care (SHHC).

Background: Dementia care is predominantly provided by carers in home settings. We aimed to identify the priorities for homecare safety of people with dementia according to dementia health and social care professionals using a novel priority-setting method.; Methods: The project steering group determined the scope, the context and the criteria for prioritization. We then invited 185 North-West London clinicians via an open-ended questionnaire to identify three main problems and solutions relating to homecare safety of people with dementia.

Increasingly, medication is being administered at home by family and friends of the care-recipient. This study aims to identify and analyse risks associated with potential drug administration errors made by informal carers at home. We mapped medication administration at home with a multidisciplinary team that included carers, health care professionals and patients.