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Abstract Background Person-centredness is considered as best practice for people living with dementia. A frequently used instrument to assess person-centredness of a care environment is the Person-centred Climate Questionnaire (PCQ). The questionnaire comprises of 14 items with the three subscales a climate of safety, a climate of everydayness and a climate of community. Aim The aim of the study is to describe the translation process of the English language Person-centred Climate Questionnaire (Staff version, Patient version, Family version) into German language (PCQ-G) and to evaluate the first psychometric properties of the German language Person-centred Climate Questionnaire– Staff version (PCQ-G-S). Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study. The three versions of the 14-item English PCQ were translated into German language (PCQ-G) based on the recommendations for cross-cultural adaption of measures. Item distribution, internal consistency and structural validity of the questionnaire were assessed among nursing home staff (PCQ-G-S). Item distribution was calculated using descriptive statistics. Structural validity was tested using principal component analysis (PCA), and internal consistency was assessed for the resulting subscales using Cronbach’s alpha. Data collection took place from May to September 2021. Results A total sample of 120 nurses was included in the data analysis. Nine out of 14 items of the PCQ-G-S demonstrated acceptable item difficulty, while five times showed a ceiling effect. The PCA analysis demonstrated a strong structural validity for a three-factor solution explaining 68.6% of the total variance. The three subscales demonstrated a good internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha scores of 0.8 for each of the subscales. Conclusion The analysis of the 14-item German version (PCQ-G-S) showed first evidence for a strong internal consistency and structural validity for evaluating staff perceptions of the person-centredness in German nursing homes. Based on this, further investigations for scale validity of the PCQ-G versions should be carried out.

Abstract Background Sleep disturbances are common in nursing home residents and challenging for their nurses. Knowledge about sleep and sleep promoting factors is essential to provide adequate sleep management, where nurses play a key role. Therefore, nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards sleep and sleep promoting interventions is important as enabling or inhibiting factor for successful sleep management. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses working wholly or partially at night in nursing homes in Germany. Data were collected between February and April 2021 via online or paper and pencil questionnaires, comprising 56 items. Nursing homes were recruited through existing cooperation with the study centers as well as via nursing home registers. Results Finally, 138 nursing homes participated and 271 nurses completed the survey. Nurses agreed that sleep disturbances are an important topic with important impact on resident’ health. Although, the assessment of sleep was seen as nurses’ responsibility, only 40 nurses (14.7%) stated that residents’ sleep was always documented. Only 21.7% reported the availability of policy documents providing guidance regarding the management of sleep disturbances. The vast majority (93.2%) reported never having received training about sleep and management of sleep disturbances after their basic nursing training. Conclusions Our results indicate that nurses working at night can play an important role in residents’ sleep promotion. The findings indicate nurses’ educational needs regarding sleep and sleep promotion. Nursing homes should implement institutional guidelines in order to promote residents’ sleep based on adequate evidence-based non-pharmacological interventions.

Abstract Background Outpatient care for geriatric patients is complex and requires the collaboration of different professions for supporting long-term care. Care and case management (CCM) could provide support with that. The long-term care of geriatric patients could be optimized with an interprofessional, cross-sectoral CCM. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the experiences and attitudes of those involved in the care with regard to the interprofessional design of the care for geriatric patients. Methods A qualitative study design was used. Focus group interviews were conducted with those involved in the care (general practitioners (GP), health care assistants (HCA) as well as care and case managers (CM)). The interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed and analysed by qualitative content analysis. Results Overall, ten focus groups were conducted in the five practice networks with n = 46 participants (n = 15 GP, n = 14 HCA and n = 17 CM). The participants evaluated the care they received from a CCM positively. The HCA and the GP were the primary points of contact for the CM. The close collaboration with the CM was experienced to be rewarding and relieving. Through their home-visitations, the CM gained a deep insight into the homelives of their patients and were thus able to accurately reflect the gaps in the care back to the family physicians. Conclusions The different health care professionals involved in this type of care experience that an interprofessional and cross-sectoral CCM is able to optimally support the long-term care of geriatric patients. The different occupational groups involved in the care benefit from this type of care arrangement as well.

Abstract Background Sleep problems are highly prevalent in people with dementia. Nevertheless, there is no “gold standard” intervention to prevent or reduce sleep problems in people with dementia. Existing interventions are characterized by a pronounced heterogeneity as well as insufficient knowledge about the possibilities and challenges of implementation. The aim of this study is to pilot and evaluate the effectiveness of a newly developed complex intervention to prevent and reduce sleep problems in people with dementia living in nursing homes. Methods This study is a parallel group cluster-randomized controlled trial. The intervention consists of six components: (1) the assessment of established sleep-promoting interventions and an appropriate environment in the participating nursing homes, (2) the implementation of two “sleep nurses” as change agents per nursing home, (3) a basic education course for nursing staff: “Sleep problems in dementia”, (4) an advanced education course for nursing staff: “Tailored problem-solving” (two workshops), (5) workshops: “Development of an institutional sleep-promoting concept” (two workshops with nursing management and sleep nurses) and (6) written information and education material (e.g. brochure and “One Minute Wonder” poster). The intervention will be performed over a period of 16 weeks and compared with usual care in the control group. Overall, 24 nursing homes in North, East and West Germany will be included and randomized in a 1:1 ratio. The primary outcome is the prevalence of sleep problems in people with dementia living in nursing homes. Secondary outcomes are quality of life, quality of sleep, daytime sleepiness and agitated behavior of people with dementia, as well as safety parameters like psychotropic medication, falls and physical restraints. The outcomes will be assessed using a mix of instruments based on self- and proxy-rating. A cost analysis and a process evaluation will be performed in conjunction with the study. Conclusions It is expected that the intervention will reduce the prevalence of sleep problems in people with dementia, thus not only improving the quality of life for people with dementia, but also relieving the burden on nursing staff caused by sleep problems. Trial registration Current controlled trials: ISRCTN36015309 . Date of registration: 06/11/2020.