Abstract
Background: The potential value of expanding the Practice Nurse role to include the recognition and management of dementia has been acknowledged and Practice Nurses are well-positioned to provide comprehensive dementia information and support so that people living with dementia are better equipped to self-manage their health and live well with dementia. The purpose of this review was to systematically examine published Australian and international literature to identify the existing and potential roles of Practice Nurse’s involvement in the delivery of care to people living with dementia or cognitive impairment and their support person(s) and also describe the characteristics and effectiveness of nurse interventions in dementia models of care in general practice. Methods: We systematically reviewed the evidence for roles and characteristics of the Practice Nurse in the delivery of dementia care. A comprehensive literature search identified relevant original research published in English between January 2000 and January 2019 and available in full text. Thirteen articles were included. Results: Characteristics of roles, undertaken by nurses working in the general practice setting, which were potentially beneficial to people living with dementia and their support person were identified. These included increased patient accessibility to the Practice Nurse, early recognition and management of cognitive changes, care management and collaboration with the General Practitioner. Limitations of the provision of dementia care by Practice Nurses included a lack of definition of the role, inadequate dementia specific training, time constraints and poor communication with General Practitioners. Conclusions Further research is required to define and evaluate the scope of practice and characteristics of the Practice Nurse role in dementia care provision. Embedding in usual general practice care an evidence-based model of care describing the role of the Practice Nurse in dementia care provision has the potential to increase early recognition of cognitive impairment and more appropriate primary care management of dementia. Systematic Review registration number PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018088191
What is the role of the Practice Nurse in the care of people living with dementia, or cognitive impairment, and their support person(s)? : A systematic review.