Mrs Taree Gibson1, Ms Melissa Roberts1,5, Dr Sarah Milne1,2,3,4, Dr Abby Foster3,5,6
1Physiotherapy Department, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia, 2Bruce Lefroy Centre, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia, 3School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, 4Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, 5Allied Health Workforce, Innovation, Strategy, Education & Research (WISER) Unit, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia, 6School of Allied Health, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
Biography:
Taree Gibson is an APA Titled Gerontological Physiotherapist with a passion for delivering optimal health outcomes for older adults. She is a rehabilitation specialist, served a full term on the APA Gerontology Committee in Victoria and has sat on two APA conference scientific committees. She believes in advocacy for the older adult and learning from her patients. She envisions a healthcare system where all teams are equipped with the appropriate skills and knowledge to provide adults living with dementia, delirium or cognitive impairment with high quality, compassionate care. Taree lives and works on Bunurong Country, in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia.
Abstract:
Purpose:
People living with delirium, dementia and exhibiting behaviours of concern (DDBoC) are becoming increasingly common in hospitals. Little is known about the effect working with DDBoC has on the mental health and wellbeing of Allied Health (AH) staff. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of working with patients living with DDBoC on AH staff on subacute wards.
Methods:
Mixed methods concurrent triangulation design using three data collection methods: i) retrospective audit of clinical incident data involving AH; ii) cross-sectional survey of AH staff wellbeing, exposure to and experience with patients living with DDBoC; iii) semi-structured interviews with AH staff exploring experiences working with DDBoC.
Results:
Thirty-nine incidents related to DDBoC involving AH staff were reported. Survey participants reported frequent exposure to DDBoC (44% reported >5 encounters in the past month) and high levels of support seeking (n=35/50; 70%). Twenty-six percent (n=13/50) of participants reported low levels of resilience and 28% (n=14/50) reported high levels of burnout. Analysis of interviews yielded four key themes: ‘What we experience’, ‘How we are impacted’, ‘How we manage’ and ‘How we work together’. Despite majority normal stress levels (n=35; 70%), interviews suggested senior staff may experience stress differently. Work in DDBoC impacted on team communication, confidence, and response to factors outside team control.
Conclusions:
Working with DDBoC has a complex effect on AH staff wellbeing, with both positive and negative emotions experienced. AH staff appear to under-report incidents and require strategies to support their wellbeing working with this patient population.