Benefits and challenges of electronic surveillance in nursing home research.
Cognitive impairment and frailty associated with dementia renders residents of long-term care (LTC) facilities particularly vulnerable to physical and emotional harm. Resident-to-resident violence affects not only the target of the aggression, but also the aggressor, as well as the formal and informal caregivers who must intervene. To date, little research has been conducted on resident-to-resident violence despite preliminary but emerging evidence that it is a common (and likely growing) problem in LTC settings. Exploration of this phenomenon presents multiple pragmatic and ethical challenges. This article presents a rationale for implementing newer technological methods to collect data in investigations of resident-to-resident violence associated with dementia. The advantages and disadvantages of electronic surveillance in LTC research and the ethical principles involved are discussed, and an argument is developed for using electronic surveillance in both the shared, as well as private, spaces of the facility.
State University, School of Nursing, PO Box 910, State University (Jonesboro), AR 72467, USA. ksifford@astate.edu
K Susan
KS
Sifford
Ashok
A
Bharucha
D000368:Aged; D003219:Confidentiality; D003625:Data Collection / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004581:Electronics; D006805:Human Experimentation / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D028662:Principle-Based Ethics; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D017751:Safety Management; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014743:Videotape Recording / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D035862:Vulnerable Populations