Abstract / Summary
The rapidly increasing global prevalence of dementia, coupled with the absence of clearly defined professional competencies in many regions, highlights the need to define and assess essential competencies for effective dementia care. Although some international frameworks for dementia care are proposed, their direct application in Taiwan may be limited because dementia care is shaped by long term care policy, family caregiving culture, dementia friendly community service networks, and professional care education systems. This study aimed to develop a core competency framework for dementia care and to investigate students’ self-perceived competencies in dementia care. This study was conducted at a science and technology university in northern Taiwan and employed a two-phase research design. In the first phase, 15 panel members participated in a Delphi survey. This phase involved development of core competency domains and corresponding competency indicators for dementia care, achieved through targeted literature review and consensus-building via the modified Delphi method. In the second phase, 278 students were eligible to participate, of whom 250 students from the Department of Geriatric Health Care completed a structured quantitative questionnaire (response rate: 89.9%). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, and analysis of variance to describe the distribution of students’ competency levels and examine differences across groups. Nine core competencies for dementia care were ultimately identified: Understanding the Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Dementia; Daily Life Care and Management of Behavioral Problems; Palliative Care for Dementia; Interpersonal Communication and Teamwork; Ethics and Law; Prevention and Health Promotion; Friendly Environment; Family Support and Service Resources; and Self-Care of Professional Caregivers. The mean overall competency score among students was 3.19 ± 0.58 points on a 5‑point scale, with the Palliative Care for Dementia domain demonstrating the lowest mean score. Participants with prior caregiving experience or previous dementia care training exhibited significantly higher competency levels than did those without such experience or training. We provide a consensus-based, practical core competency framework and set of competency indicators for dementia care. We developed a competency assessment tool and conducted self-perceived competency assessments of students, providing a reference for educational institutions, internship organizations, and clinicians in designing dementia care education. Future research should employ larger samples to extend application to competency assessment and training planning for clinical caregivers to improve dementia care and education consistency.