Mapping the maze of terms and definitions in dementia-related wandering.
OBJECTIVE
An operational definition of dementia-related wandering is proposed to aid in clinical recognition, to promote research precision and validity, and to provide a pathway toward standardization of language in wandering science.


METHODS
(1) One-hundred-and-eighty-three journal articles from multiple databases (Medline, OVID, CSA Journals, OCLC First Search, Google Scholar, PubMed, EBSCO) were reviewed to extract alternative terms and definitions for wandering or wandering-related behaviours; (2) terms and definitions were ordered alphabetically into a glossary; (3) a consensus approach was used to group glossary terms with related meanings into possible domains of wandering; (4) four domains (locomotion, drive, space and time) were found sufficient to encompass all wandering definitions; (5) wandering terms were placed into a conceptual map bounded by the four domain concepts and (6) a new provisional definition of wandering was formulated.


RESULTS
An empirically-based, operational definition improves clinical and research approaches to wandering and explicates historical inattention to certain beneficial aspects of the behaviour.


CONCLUSIONS
Adoption of the proposed operational definition of wandering behaviour provides a platform upon which dementia care may be improved and standardized language may evolve in wandering science.
Algase
D L
DL
University of Michigan School of Nursing, Michigan, USA.
Moore
D Helen
DH
Vandeweerd
C
C
Gavin-Dreschnack
D J
DJ
D000368:Aged; D003704:Dementia; D006801:Humans; D012918:Social Alienation; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014825:Vocabulary