title: Effects of dementia-care mapping on residents and staff of care homes: a pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The effectiveness of dementia-care mapping (DCM) for institutionalised people with dementia has been demonstrated in an explanatory cluster-randomised controlled trial (cRCT) with two DCM researchers carrying out the DCM intervention. In order to be able to inform daily practice, we studied DCM effectiveness in a pragmatic cRCT involving a wide range of care homes with trained nursing staff carrying out the intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dementia special care units were randomly assigned to DCM or usual care. Nurses from the intervention care homes received DCM training and conducted the 4-months DCM-intervention twice during the study. The primary outcome was agitation, measured with the Cohen-Mansfield agitation inventory (CMAI). The secondary outcomes included residents' neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) and quality of life, and staff stress and job satisfaction. The nursing staff made all measurements at baseline and two follow-ups at 4-month intervals. We used linear mixed-effect models to test treatment and time effects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  34 units from 11 care homes, including 434 residents and 382 nursing staff members, were randomly assigned. Ten nurses from the intervention units completed the basic and advanced DCM training. Intention-to-treat analysis showed no statistically significant effect on the CMAI (mean difference between groups 2·4, 95% CI -2·7 to 7·6; p = 0·34). More NPSs were reported in the intervention group than in usual care (p = 0·02). Intervention staff reported fewer negative and more positive emotional reactions during work (p = 0·02). There were no other significant effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our pragmatic findings did not confirm the effect on the primary outcome of agitation in the explanatory study. Perhaps the variability of the extent of implementation of DCM may explain the lack of effect.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Dutch Trials Registry NTR2314.
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Nijmegen, Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. G.vandeVen@elg.umcn.nl
authors.forename: Geertje
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: van de Ven
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Draskovic
authors.forename: Eddy M M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Adang
authors.forename: Rogier
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Donders
authors.forename: Sytse U
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Zuidema
authors.forename: Raymond T C M
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Koopmans
authors.forename: Myrra J F J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Vernooij-Dassen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003704:Dementia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology