TCD expert rules out use of electronic tags for dementia patients who wander

Patients with dementia who wander should not be electronically tagged, as such “quick-fix solutions” may provide a “false sense of security”. The move also stands in stark contrast to an evolving body of work on technology and dementia, according to Prof Des O’Neill, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at TCD. In a head-to-head commentary in the BMJ on electronic tagging, Prof O’Neill argued that care must be patient-centred, rather than looking for quick fixes to suit carers. The acceptability of tagging “has generally been researched among formal and informal carers only, with the views of those with dementia relegated to the…