Professional perspectives on applying the NICE and British Psychological Society Guidelines for the management of Behaviours that Challenge in dementia care: an e-survey

CONCLUSION: Professionals were cautiously positive regarding the guidance for BtC management, but highlighted a need for improved clarity about the use of non-pharmacological approaches, and more specificity about how these can be implemented in clinical settings. Tailored 'setting-specific' toolkits are required to update and refine the BPS-DCP (2013) if the aspirations of the NICE Dementia Guideline 97 (2018) are to inform professional practice.PRACTITIONER POINTS: Owing to major concerns about the problematic side effects of using psychotropics in the treatment of behaviours that challenge (BtC), there is a need for national guidance on the use on non-drug alternatives. The NICE (2018) guidance was seen by participants as accessible and clear but lacking in detail in the use of non-pharmacological interventions, which are the first-line treatments for BtC. The BPS Guidelines on 'Alternatives to antipsychotics' (2013) were seen as having good structured advice for allocating non-pharmacological resources but were lacking in flexibility for meeting individual needs or what might be an acceptable fit for clinical services. The findings suggest that we need to develop UK-wide bespoke specific advice for practitioners and services for both the use and the delivery of non-pharmacological evidence-based interventions for BtC.PMID:34156110 | DOI:10.1111/bjc.12316
Source: The British Journal of Clinical Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Source Type: research