295). Participants in our study might also have been in similar situations, needing more time to communicate adequately with patients with dementia. Simultaneously administering care to patients with and without dementia is extremely challenging. Our study showed that nurses feel conflicted because of their lack of

available time to provide nursing care to patients with dementia and their families. The cycle identified in the current study was exacerbated by the lack of nursing training/experience regarding patients with dementia and organization/cooperation among medical professionals in different disciplines in acute care hospitals. The data indicated that nurses realized that early detection was important; however, they had difficulties understanding symptoms, resulting in delays in the detection

this website of incidents. They recognized the need for prevention of incidents in the care of patients with dementia; however, they felt that they were in danger of overlooking signs because of their lack of training and experience. Previous studies have identified overwork, lack of resources, and lack of knowledge and understanding of dementia among staff as difficulties in nursing provision for patients with dementia in acute care settings (Borbasi et al., 2006; Eriksson & Saveman, 2002; Nolan, 2007; Nordam et al., 2005). Lack of communication between nurses and other health care professionals made nursing care for patients with dementia at acute care hospitals more difficult (Sorlie et al., 2005). In this study, we selleck chemicals llc suggest that these deficiencies in hospital systems exacerbated the cycle. As stated in the previous paragraph, nurses reported facing various problems and difficulties caring for patients with dementia; these problems and difficulties interacted and resulted in a cycle. Despite this situation, nurses were eager to adapt to their present conditions. However, they felt pressure because of a lack of time and an inability to

respect the patients’ wishes, as also reported in previous studies (Borbasi et al., 2006; Eriksson & Saveman, 2002; Nolan, 2007; Taniguchi, mafosfamide 2006; Yamamoto et al., 2010). Although nurses accepted their mission to follow their designated routines in their present conditions, they questioned the situation. The results of this study clarified that nurses attempt to protect themselves and their hospitals under the organizational limitations characteristic of acute care hospitals. One previous study reported that securement of additional community services for people with dementia was long overdue (Borbasi et al., 2006). In another study, participants described “a constant demand from the top of the organization [to] decreas[e] … care time” (Eriksson & Saveman, 2002, p. 82). These studies indicate that the problems identified in our study are characteristic of the problems of nursing care for patients with dementia in acute care hospitals.