Person‐centred oral hydration care for older people with dementia admitted to acute hospital wards: Empirical research qualitative

Aims and ObjectivesTo conduct an in‐depth exploration of oral hydration care provided to people living with dementia in acute hospital wards, using a person‐centred care framework.BackgroundOral hydration care is an important, yet rarely explored aspect of fundamental care for people with dementia admitted to acute hospitals. Using person‐centred care as a conceptual framework we investigated how oral hydration care is delivered for people living with dementia in acute hospital wards.DesignA qualitative, multiple‐case study. The cases were three acute wards in one hospital.MethodsDirect observation of care for 13 people with dementia (132 h), semistructured interviews with ward staff (n = 28), ward leaders (n = 4), organisational leaders (n = 5), people with dementia (n = 6), their relatives (n = 5), documentary analysis of clinical inpatient records (n = 26) and relevant hospital policies. Data were analysed using framework analysis.ResultsFour themes were identified: (1) The acute hospital: oral hydration is obscured and not prioritised (2) Overshadowing of oral hydration at ward level (3) Siloed nature of hydration roles (4) Strategies for, and barriers to, delivering person‐centred oral hydration care.ConclusionsThis study combines the concept of person‐centred care and oral hydration care for people living with dementia admitted to acute hospital wards, demonstrating that person‐centred hydration care was complex and not prioritised.Relevance to Clinical PracticeNurses should consider means of improving prioritisation and cohesive delivery of person‐centred hydration care in acute hospital wards.