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Wandering Risk Prevention in Dementia: Summary of the Most Compelling
Evidence- practiced Strategies

Y. Tang and F. Zhang 1
1

1
West China School of Nursing/West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China

Background: Older adults diagnosed with dementia are faced with a heightened risk of wandering,
a behavior that consistently threatens their health and imposes a significant care burden on their
family, society, and country.

Objective: To summarize the most compelling evidences in reducing wandering risk for older adults
with dementia and provide some references for building a dementia-friendly community.

Methods: The review was presented using PRISMA guidelines. A systematic search of evidences on the
management of wandering in older adults with dementia was conducted in computerized decision
systems, guideline websites, professional association websites and comprehensive databases from
their creation to 1 March 2024. The types of included evidences were clinical decision making,
guidelines, evidence summaries, best practices, recommended practices, expert consensus,
systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Two researchers, proficient in evidence-based
methodological systems, independently assessed, extracted, synthesized, and graded the included
evidence, ensuring a rigorous and unbiased approach.

Results: A total of 37 articles were selected, involving twelve guidelines, three experts’ consensuses,
three clinical practices and nineteen systematic reviews. The overall quality of these papers was high.
Thirty seven pieces of evidences were summarized in seven areas: assessment environmental
modification, behavioral intervention, training and education, physiological and psychological
Oral Presentation Abstracts
intervention, smart devices, and searching strategies.

Conclusion: This study summarized the latest evidence on minimizing the risk of wandering in older
adults with dementia and provided a reference for building a dementia-friendly community. The most
compelling evidence should be carefully selected for localized and personalized implementation
across diverse environments, including families, communities, and long-term care facilities, and the
best evidence should be continuously updated to standardize nursing practice.

Keywords: best evidence, dementia, wandering, evidence-based nursing, nursing home caregivers,
family carers, social workers

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Correspondence: Fengying Zhang, West China School of Nursing/West China Hospital, Sichuan
University, China
E-mail: zhangfengying@scu.edu

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