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Objective To compare the psychometric properties of four measures of dementia institutional knowledge. Methods Fifty-eight dementia care staff completed the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Tool Version Two ( DKAT2), Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Test ( ADKT), Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale ( ADKS) and Dementia Knowledge Twenty ( DK-20). The convergent validity and reliability of each measure were examined. Results The level of dementia knowledge in this sample was similar to that reported in comparable surveys. The ADKT, DKAT-2 and DK-20 had marginal to acceptable internal consistency (α ≥ 0.67), and the ADKT, DK-20 and ADKS were positively correlated with each other ( r's = 0.45-0.60), demonstrating convergent validity. The DKAT2 had lower intercorrelations with the other measures ( r's = 0.32-0.45). The ADKS had poor internal consistency (α = 0.29). Conclusion As the first head-to-head comparison of these tests in a single sample, this study should assist clinicians and researchers to select a dementia knowledge test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The number of people who will require institutional care for dementia is rapidly rising. This increase raises questions about how the workforce can meet the challenge of providing quality care. A promising psychological concept that could improve staff and care recipient outcomes is staff sense of competence in their capacity to provide dementia care. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the relative importance of staff factors associated with sense of competence. Method: Sixty-one Australian dementia care staff (mostly nurses, 69%; and allied health, 21%) were recruited. Measures included the Sense of Competence in Dementia Care Staff (criterion) and standardised measures of empirically derived predictors: training, knowledge, attitudes and person-centred care strategies. Results: Standard multiple regression revealed that 33.9% of the variance in sense of competence was explained by the combination of the four predictors. Attitudes and person-centred strategies each uniquely explained a moderate amount of variance, while training and knowledge were not significant predictors of sense of competence. Conclusion: A positive attitude towards people with dementia, and stronger intentions to implement person-centred care strategies, predicted a greater sense of competence to provide care, whereas knowledge and training, commonly believed to be important contributors to sense of competence in dementia care, did not predict this outcome. Investing in strategies that address staff attitude and encourage person-centred care could influence sense of competence, and by extension, dementia care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]