Ways of interdisciplinary approaches to advocating for nursing home residents with dementia

AimTo explore how nursing home staff advocate for residents with dementia.DesignPhenomenographic qualitative research.MethodsTwenty nursing home staff from four disciplines (six nurses, four physical therapists, five social workers and five care workers) were purposively recruited from three different nursing homes. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted from February 2023 to March 2023, and the analysis followed the sequential steps of phenomenographic analysis.ResultsThe analysis identified five categories of description: focusing on what happened, finding the gaps in perspectives, how to bridge for finding a common perspective, how to tailor care such that each resident receives equitable care and how to establish interdisciplinary sharing for a consistent advocative pattern. Their structural relationship was also identified as an outcome space.ConclusionThe cyclical advocacy structure illustrated that nursing home staff engage in an ongoing process of advocacy during conflict situations as part of interdisciplinary care, emphasizing continuity of care rather than separate occurrences of care.Implications for the ProfessionThis study revealed that, in advocating for residents with dementia, nursing home staff adopted an approach that fosters consistent care and proactive prevention, achieved through the formation of shared knowledge applicable uniformly across similar situations.ImpactThis study contributes significantly to the continuing education or training of interdisciplinary staff in nursing homes. The revelations of the study hold significance not only for the practical application but also for the theoretical advancement of concepts related to safeguarding the dignity, human rights and personhood of residents with dementia, with the ultimate goal of enhancing their quality of life within nursing homes.Reporting MethodReporting complied with the COREQ criteria for qualitative research.Patient or Public ContributionNursing home directors have contributed to the validation of data analysis and interpretation.