Lying to patients with dementia: Attitudes versus behaviours in nurses:

Background:Using lies, in dementia care, reveals a common practice far beyond the diagnosis and prognosis, extending to the entire care process.Objectives:In this article, we report results about the attitude and the behaviour of nurses towards the use of lies to patients with dementia.Research design:An epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2016 and February 2017 in 12 elderly residential facilities and in the geriatric, psychiatric and neurological wards of six specialised hospitals of Italy’s Campania Region.Participants:In all, 106 nurses compiled an attitude questionnaire (A) where the main question was ‘Do you think it is ethically acceptable to use lies to patients with dementia?’, instead 106 nurses compiled a behaviour questionnaire (B), where the main question was ‘Have you ever used lies to patients with dementia?’Ethical considerations:Using lies in dementia care, although topic ethically still controversial, reveals a common practice far beyond the diagnosis an...