Dementia care behind prison walls: A descriptive study understanding nurse's knowledge and educational needs

Aim/objective: To establish correctional nurses' dementia knowledge base and identify their educational needs related to caring for prisoners with dementia.Background: The aging prison population is growing, posing a heightened risk of dementia among older inmates. This study examined the knowledge and perceived educational needs of nurses caring for prisoners with dementia.Design: A descriptive study which was qualitative in nature was undertaken. Methods: Data was collected using an online survey which included Demographics, the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Tool 2 and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequency were used to analyse the quantitative data and a qualitative analysis was undertaken to identify common themes and extract meaningful insight from the open-ended questions.Results: Nurses showed a general understanding of dementia and its environmental impact but lacked knowledge of late-stage changes. Eight main themes relating more broadly to the environmental and staffing challenges faced by nurses are presented.Conclusion: Although participants appeared to have a reasonable dementia knowledge base the study highlights the need for specific dementia education and support focussed on the correctional setting and collaborative partnerships with dementia experts in the community.