Skills4Dem: Competence building and situational support in dealing with challenging behavior of people with dementia in hospitals

Due to demographic change, hospitals are experiencing a “geriatric surge,” with the result that more and more people with dementia are seeking help there. Four out of five of these patients exhibit what is known as challenging behavior, such as restlessness with a tendency to run away, constant shouting, or defensive and aggressive behavior during examinations or treatments. Dealing with these behavioral issues causes a great deal of additional stress for employees. This can lead to escalating situations that are very stressful for those affected, staff, and relatives, and can have negative consequences for patient safety.

The Skills4Dem project aims to support hospital staff in dealing with challenging behavior in patients with dementia. To this end, project partner Eurokey is developing an innovative multilingual learning and support system that provides information on the complex background of challenging behavior in short, clear modules tailored to the workplace. An app provides additional assistance in specific stressful situations and makes content accessible on the go. The learning modules and app are being developed in several languages, thus also addressing employees whose native language is not German.

The technical content of the support system is identified and prepared by the iso Institute. In addition, the iso Institute evaluates the scientific maturity and practical suitability of the instruments during the course of the project with the support of external expert groups. In order to assess the project, the iso Institute also considers the effects of the new learning and support system on patient safety and staff workload during the transfer phase.