Exploring the Effectiveness the Attitude, Competence of Care, Empathy Among the Home Care Workers With Dementia People

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study develop a new virtual reality course for home care workers to experience the view of dementia people with BPSD and the relative feelings. After the intervention, the experimental group would completed the several scales of attitude of care, competence of care and empathy, then the factor analysis and correlation analysis were measured. In the first stage, a single group pre and post test study was conducted to extract 10 home caregivers of dementia care from Hondao Senior Citizen's Welfare Foundation. In order to explore the VR course affect the attitude of care, competent of care and empathy towards the dementia people in community, and future career. In the second stage, this study use quasi experimental design. The experimental group (n=65) and the control group (n=65) each have a pre- and post-test design. The experimental group uses virtual reality courses for intervention experience, while the control group does not have intervention. After the two post-tests are completed, then provide the same immersive 3D VR experience as the experimental group. The measurement tools in this study used the Jefferson Empathy Scale (Chinese Version), The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Chinese Version), and three self-made scales focus on dementia care attitude scale, the dementia care competency scale and the virtual reality course experience scale.

Detailed Description
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More than 90% of people with mild and moderate level of dementia live at home in the community. The behaviors and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) would be severe by age, and often increases the difficulty and pressure for family caregivers. Also the outcome from the relative studies are limited. This study develop a new virtual reality course for home care workers to experience the view of dementia people with BPSD and the relative feelings. After the intervention, the experimental group would completed the several scales of attitude of care, competence of care and empathy, then the factor analysis and correlation analysis were measured. In the first stage, a single group pre and post test study was conducted to extract 10 home caregivers of dementia care from Hondao Senior Citizen's Welfare Foundation. In order to explore the VR course affect the attitude of care, competent of care and empathy towards the dementia people in community, and future career. In the second stage, this study use quasi experimental design. The experimental group (n=65) and the control group (n=65) each have a pre- and post-test design. The experimental group uses virtual reality courses for intervention experience, while the control group does not have intervention. After the two post-tests are completed, then provide the same immersive 3D VR experience as the experimental group. The measurement tools in this study used three self-made scales focus on dementia care attitude scale, the dementia care competency scale and the virtual reality course experience scale and empathy scale. ANCOVA would be used for the correlation analysis above scales. Home care workers can use VR as an appropriate interventions, to empathize with the situation, faced and recognize the weakness, frustration and emotional distress of dementia people. Then change the attitude and arise the competency of care, also should be considered for ensure that patients with dementia stay in good care quality.

Official Title
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Discussion on Virtual Reality Intervention Course: Exploring the Effectiveness of the Attitude of Care

Conditions
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Empathy, Attitude, Competence

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: VR films


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: is currently or has been serving as an in-home caregiver for a community-dwelling patient with dementia; aged 20 years and above conversant in Mandarin and Taiwanese agreed to participate in this study Exclusion Criteria: age 19 years and below disagreed to participate in this study.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 20 Years
Maximum Age: 75 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Intervention<br>Experimental: offered 3 films of VR course of BPSD for 30 mins to each participants. | Other: VR films<br>* A new virtual reality course for home care workers to experience the view of dementia people with BPSD and the relative feelings.<br>|
| No Intervention: No intervention<br>NO films of VR course of BPSD to any participants. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Empathy Scale | It contains 9 questions. There is no subscale. The score of range from 1-5. | Change from Baseline, T1 | 
| Dementia care scale | It contains 22 questions. There is 3 subscale. The score of range from 1-5. | Change from Baseline, T1 | 
| Virtual reality course experience scale | It contains 9 questions. There is 3 subscale. The score of range from 1-5. | Experimental group need to completion 30 mins intervention, then participants fill the questionnaire. | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Empathy Scale | It contains 9 questions. There is no subscale. The score of range from 1-5. | Through study completion, an average of 2 months(T2) | 
| Dementia care scale | It contains 22 questions. There is 3 subscale. The score of range from 1-5. | Through study completion, an average of 2 months(T2) | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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home caregivers, careers