Developing a dementia nursing competency-practice framework applicable across care settings.

AIM: To develop a comprehensive dementia nursing competency-practice framework applicable across diverse healthcare settings.

BACKGROUND

Despite the growing prevalence of dementia, there is a lack of standardized competency frameworks that bridge theoretical knowledge and practical nursing applications in dementia care across different healthcare environments.

DESIGN

A qualitative study utilizing focus group interviews and framework analysis methodology.

METHODS

A sequential three-phase approach was employed: (1) development of a preliminary framework through narrative review of ten studies on dementia nursing competency and practice; (2) conduct of four 120-minute online focus group sessions with 19 nurses from hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community settings, as well as four family caregivers of people with dementia; and (3) refinement of the preliminary framework using five-stage framework analysis. Data collection occurred in Korea from February 7-10, 2023.

RESULTS

The literature-derived preliminary framework was enhanced through practice-based insights, yielding a comprehensive framework containing 19 dementia nursing competencies and 74 corresponding nursing practices. Two new competencies-'education' and 'case management'-emerged from practice experience. All identified competencies demonstrated universal applicability across diverse care environments despite their distinct characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

The developed framework successfully bridges the theory-practice gap by providing concrete, actionable guidelines that integrate theoretical foundations with empirical evidence from clinical practice. The framework reflects perspectives from both healthcare providers and care recipients, ensuring comprehensive relevance for dementia nursing practice.