The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of published literature on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) nursing in Japan and to highlight challenges that need to be resolved.
The criteria for retrieval of literature were as follows: a BPSD study conducted by a nurse in Japan, and it must have been published. Papers without conference proceedings and peer reviews and literature without English titles and abstracts were excluded. The PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) was referenced.
Based on the analysis of 20 studies meeting the criteria, nurses tended to manage BPSD when all three of the following were clearly defined: attempts to understand BPSD, the provision of nursing intervention to improve the quality of care and clarification of the perception of BPSD. There were eight studies that implemented surveys considered to be helpful for nurses to understand BPSD with the aim of clarifying the symptomatic factors, meaning of each behaviour, etc. In the eight studies, nurses directly coped with BPSD in various ways. Four studies reported on how nurses perceive the associated behaviours and symptoms of BPSD patients.
This study suggests that not only implementing interventions but also aiming at improving nurses’ understanding of BPSD and their level of knowledge are crucial to promote BPSD nursing in Japan.
