Exploring the potential for secondary uses of Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) data for improving the quality of dementia care

Abstract

The reuse of existing datasets to identify mechanisms for improving healthcare quality has been widely encouraged. There has been limited application within dementia care. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) is an observational tool in widespread use, predominantly to assess and improve quality of care in single organisations. DCM data has the potential to be used for secondary purposes to improve quality of care. However, its suitability for such use requires careful evaluation. This study conducted in-depth interviews with 29 DCM users to identify issues, concerns and challenges regarding the secondary use of DCM data. Data was analysed using modified Grounded Theory. Major themes identified included the need to collect complimentary contextual data in addition to DCM data, to reassure users regarding ethical issues associated with storage and reuse of care related data and the need to assess and specify data quality for any data that might be available for secondary analysis.