The Behaviour Success Agent (BSA) program is a multi-component, interdisciplinary, and integrated care intervention led by the North Simcoe Muskoka Specialized Geriatric Services (NSM SGS) in partnership with the acute care hospitals in the North Simcoe Muskoka region. It includes specialized geriatric medicine and mental health-related knowledge, skills, and resources in acute care hospitals. This program is rooted in dementia-friendly care, including the prevention and management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).
In this program, a dementia-friendly care champion from the hospital clinical staff is identified and hired, referred to as the “BSA”. The BSA performs clinical assessments and provides education to staff, patients and family members. The BSAs are connected to each other and to our specialized geriatric services via a community of practice that meets regularly for program development and education.
The goals of the BSA program are to:
1. Improve the quality of care provided to people living with dementia (PLWD) with BPSD in acute care.
2. Build the capacity of healthcare staff in acute care hospitals in the assessment and management of BPSD.
3. Improve hospital flow and reduce alternate level of care (ALC) days for this priority population.
4. Enhance partnerships and service delivery knowledge between and among specialized geriatric and acute care staff across the region.
The BSA study is a CIHR-funded three-year project led by Dr. Katie Bingham with multiple collaborators (knowledge users, researchers and lived experience partners). The aims of this study are to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the BSA program, with the ultimate goal of optimizing the program itself, and scaling and spreading it to other organizations.
The study involves examining clinical data from BSA program recipients as well as interviews with patients, care partners, hospital staff and administrators to understand and describe the program in detail and to determine what factors are most related to better quality of care.