What's new about wandering behaviour? An assessment of recent studies.

Problem.  The number and quality of studies on wandering and other behaviours has lagged that of biological sciences in the field of dementia research. Recent studies of wandering are examined for quantity, rigour, and findings. Approach.  Medline, CINAHL and PsychInfo were searched systematically for studies of wandering. Research reports were reviewed and data was abstracted to characterise quantity and rigour. Study findings were organised by topic and summarised. Results.  Between 2003 and 2005 inclusive, 47 studies met inclusion criteria. The largest proportion of studies was quantitative and descriptive; an explicit theory or framework guided about half of the studies. Major findings encompassed quantification and description, epidemiology, associated factors, and intervention and management of wandering. Conclusions.  The growing body of research on wandering in becoming more rigorous. Newer measures of wandering have strong psychometric properties. Wandering occurs in multiple dementias and affects patients in larger numbers as dementia worsens. Wandering manifests similarly across cultural/ethnic groups and care settings and is associated with falls and increased mortality. A variety of interventions have been evaluated, but studies lack rigour.