Video Recording Patients for Direct Care Purposes: Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis of International Empirical Studies and UK Professional Guidance

BACKGROUND

Video recordings of patients may offer advantages to supplement patient assessment and clinical decision-making. However, little is known about the practice of video recording patients for direct care purposes.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to synthesize empirical studies published internationally to explore the extent to which video recording patients is acceptable and effective in supporting direct care and, for the United Kingdom, to summarize the relevant guidance of professional and regulatory bodies.

METHODS

Five electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycINFO, CENTRAL, and HMIC) were searched from 2012 to 2022. Eligible studies evaluated an intervention involving video recording of adult patients (≥18 years) to support diagnosis, care, or treatment. All study designs and countries of publication were included. Websites of UK professional and regulatory bodies were searched to identify relevant guidance. The acceptability of video recording patients was evaluated using study recruitment and retention rates and a framework synthesis of patients' and clinical staff's perspectives based on the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability by Sekhon. Clinically relevant measures of impact were extracted and tabulated according to the study design. The framework approach was used to synthesize the reported ethico-legal considerations, and recommendations of professional and regulatory bodies were extracted and tabulated.

RESULTS

Of the 14,221 abstracts screened, 27 studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 13 guidance documents were retrieved, of which 7 were retained for review. The views of patients and clinical staff (16 studies) were predominantly positive, although concerns were expressed about privacy, technical considerations, and integrating video recording into clinical workflows; some patients were anxious about their physical appearance. The mean recruitment rate was 68.2% (SD 22.5%; range 34.2%-100%; 12 studies), and the mean retention rate was 73.3% (SD 28.6%; range 16.7%-100%; 17 studies). Regarding effectiveness (10 studies), patients and clinical staff considered video recordings to be valuable in supporting assessment, care, and treatment; in promoting patient engagement; and in enhancing communication and recall of information. Observational studies (n=5) favored video recording, but randomized controlled trials (n=5) did not demonstrate that video recording was superior to the controls. UK guidelines are consistent in their recommendations around consent, privacy, and storage of recordings but lack detailed guidance on how to operationalize these recommendations in clinical practice.

CONCLUSIONS

Video recording patients for direct care purposes appears to be acceptable, despite concerns about privacy, technical considerations, and how to incorporate recording into clinical workflows. Methodological quality prevents firm conclusions from being drawn; therefore, pragmatic trials (particularly in older adult care and the movement disorders field) should evaluate the impact of video recording on diagnosis, treatment monitoring, patient-clinician communication, and patient safety. Professional and regulatory documents should signpost to practical guidance on the implementation of video recording in routine practice.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42022331825: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=331825.

Assessing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: a comprehensive review of current options and future perspectives

The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are a heterogeneous set of challenging disturbances of behavior, mood, perception, and thought that occur in almost all patients with dementia. A huge number of instruments have been developed to assess BPSD in different populations and settings. Although some of these tools are more widely used than others, no single instrument can be considered completely satisfactory, and each of these tools has its advantages and disadvantages. In this narrative review, we have provided a comprehensive overview of the characteristics of a large number of such instruments, addressing their applicability, strengths, and limitations. These depend on the setting, the expertise required, and the people involved, and all these factors need to be taken into account when choosing the most suitable scale or tool. We have also briefly discussed the use of objective biomarkers of BPSD. Finally, we have attempted to provide indications for future research in the field and suggest the ideal characteristics of a possible new tool, which should be short, easy to understand and use, and treatment oriented, providing clinicians with data such as frequency, severity, and triggers of behaviors and enabling them to find appropriate strategies to effectively tackle BPSD.

"It's You": Caregiver and Clinician Perspectives on Lucidity in People Living With Dementia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Episodes of lucidity (ELs), or a transient return of abilities believed to be lost in people living with dementia, are a growing area of interest. These events hold important implications for care, caregiving, and our understanding of underlying etiologies. Research on ELs is largely limited to retrospective reports. The perspectives of professional and family caregivers on ELs and research approaches can inform efforts to define and study lucidity. The present study examined family caregiver and hospice clinician experiences with and perspectives on ELs in people living with dementia and observational approaches to studying these events.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This exploratory, descriptive qualitative study employed semistructured interviews (N = 20 caregivers, N = 6 clinicians). Data were analyzed using Rapid Identification of Themes and subsequent duplicate review of interview data to enhance trustworthiness.

RESULTS

Most participants readily recalled events they perceived as ELs, describing a transient return of abilities they felt was significant and/or meaningful. Defining features, interpretations, and the perceived impact of ELs varied, although ELs were commonly conceptualized as a manifestation of self. Caregivers described extensive efforts to detect patterns and supportive social conditions for ELs. Participants supported use of audiovisual observation to study ELs and provided recommendations for privacy, workflow, and caregiver engagement.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Interpretations of ELs are heterogeneous, and recognition of these events may necessitate close familiarity with the person living with dementia. Participants endorse observational approaches and integration of caregivers in this research.

Person-centred and task-centred care: Impact on mealtime behaviours in nursing home residents with dementia

INTRODUCTION

Mealtime is a critical daily activity to ensure nutrition, hydration, function and socialisation. Interactions between staff and residents during mealtimes are complex and dynamic processes including verbal and/or nonverbal communication that can be positive/neutral or challenging. This study examined characteristics of and relationships between person-centred and task-centred care and positive/neutral and challenging mealtime behaviours in persons with dementia.

METHODS

This study was a secondary behavioural analyses of videotaped mealtime observations (n = 110) involving 42 unique staff-resident dyads (29 staff and 25 residents with dementia) in nine nursing homes. The refined Cue Utilization and Engagement in Dementia mealtime video-coding scheme was used to code videos during 2019-2020. Dependent variables representing resident mealtime behaviours included positive verbal behaviours, positive/neutral nonverbal behaviours, functional impairments (nonverbal) and resistive behaviours (verbal and nonverbal). Independent variables were staff person-centred and task-centred approaches (verbal and nonverbal). Relationships between resident mealtime behaviours and staff approaches were examined using bivariate analysis and logistic regression.

RESULTS

Staff person-centred verbal approaches were associated with resident positive verbal behaviours (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.09-1.76), functional impairments (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.66-1.00) and resistive behaviours (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.18-2.31). Staff person-centred nonverbal approaches were associated with resident functional impairments (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.02-1.74). Staff task-centred approaches were not associated with resident positive/neutral or challenging mealtime behaviours.

CONCLUSION

This study characterised staff approaches and resident behaviours during mealtime care and provided preliminary support on associations between staff person-centred approaches and resident positive and challenging behaviours. Person-centred mealtime care practice is recommended by focusing on support of common, challenging behaviours and reinforcement of positive behaviours with adequate consideration of individual needs and preferences.

Dyadic interactions and physical and social environment in dementia mealtime care: a systematic review of instruments

Using valid instruments to measure dyadic interactions and physical and social environment during mealtime care of persons with dementia is critical to evaluate the process, fidelity, and impact of mealtime interventions. However, the characteristics and quality of existing instruments remain unexplored. This systematic review described the characteristics and synthesized the psychometric quality of instruments originally developed or later modified to measure mealtime dyadic interactions and physical and/or social dining environment for people with dementia, on the basis of published reports between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 2020. We identified 26 instruments: 17 assessed dyadic interactions, one assessed physical environment, and eight assessed physical and social environment. All instruments were used in research and none in clinical practice. All instruments were observational tools and scored as having low psychometric quality, except for the refined Cue Utilization and Engagement in Dementia (CUED) mealtime video-coding scheme rated as having moderate quality. Reasons for low quality are the use of small samples compared with the number of items, limited psychometric testing, and inadequate estimates. All existing tools warrant further testing in larger diverse samples in varied settings and validation for use in clinical practice. The refined CUED is a potential tool for use and requires testing in direct on-site observations.