Knowledge and attitudes in dementia held by general practitioners in the primary care setting of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.

Vânia Ferreira De Sá Mayoral,Paulo José Fortes Villas Boas,Alessandro Ferrari Jacinto

doi:10.1590/0004-282x-anp-2020-0051

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. Despite alarming evidence on dementia prevalence, the condition is still underdiagnosed by general practitioners (GPs) in primary care. Early detection of the disease is beneficial for patients and relatives, who should be provided comprehensive guidance on dealing with dementia complications, covering medical, family and social aspects, thereby providing an opportunity to plan for the future. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of and attitudes toward dementia held by GPs from a city in the interior of São Paulo State, Brazil. A non-randomized intervention study was conducted involving six lectures about dementia. Before and after the intervention, the participating physicians completed two quizzes about knowledge of and attitudes towards dementia. The study was carried out in the primary care services of the town and a total of 34 GPs participated in the study. The mean age of the sample was 33.9 (±10.2) years and the majority (76.5%) of the sample had not undertaken medical residency training. The mean number of correct answers on the Knowledge Quiz about dementia before and after the training intervention was 59.6 and 71.2% (p<0.001), respectively. The comparison of the mean responses on the Attitude Quiz revealed no statistically significant difference between the two applications of the instrument, before and after intervention (p=0.059). More training for GPs on dementia should be provided.

Highlights

The aging of the population has led to a substantial rise in the number of older people with cognitive decline and dementia
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia is a clinical condition with major personal, family and social impacts and no curative treatment, early detection is believed important because diagnosis allows patients and their carers to discuss future care plans, helping to reduce psychic distress and costs[7,8,9,10]
The lectures were delivered, and the scripts were written by a geriatrician with experience in dementia (VFSM)

Summary

Introduction

The aging of the population has led to a substantial rise in the number of older people with cognitive decline and dementia. By 2050, there will be an estimated 152 million persons with dementia globally[1]. AD dementia is a clinical condition with major personal, family and social impacts and no curative treatment, early detection is believed important because diagnosis allows patients and their carers to discuss future care plans, helping to reduce psychic distress and costs[7,8,9,10]. Detection of the disease is beneficial for patients and relatives, who should be provided comprehensive guidance on dealing with dementia complications, covering medical, family and social aspects, thereby providing an opportunity to plan for the future. Before and after the intervention, the participating physicians completed two quizzes about knowledge of and attitudes towards dementia. The mean number of correct answers on the Knowledge Quiz about dementia before and after the training intervention was 59.6 and 71.2% (p

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Conclusion