Dementia in primary care: the first survey of Irish general practitioners.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate General Practitioners' (GPs) attitudes and practices in relation to screening, diagnosing, and disclosing a dementia diagnosis to patients.


METHODS
National postal survey.


METHODS
A random sample of 600 GPs from a national database of 2,400.


RESULTS
Of the 600 GPs surveyed, 60% returned questionnaires of which 50% (300) were useable. GPs reported diagnosing on average four new cases of dementia annually. A multivariate analysis revealed that females diagnosed significantly fewer cases annually (t=5.532, df=289, p<0.001). A large majority of GPs reported performing thyroid function tests (77%), B(12) (75%) and Folic acid tests (75%) to out rule reversible causes of cognitive impairment. The most reliable signs and symptoms of dementia identified were memory problems (58%). Main barriers to diagnosis were difficulty differentiating normal ageing from symptoms of dementia (31%), lack of confidence (30%) and the impact of the diagnosis on the patient (28%). GPs' age (chi(2)=14.592, df=3, p<0.005) and gender (chi(2)=11.436, df=3, p<0.01) were significantly associated with barriers to diagnosis. Only 19% claimed they often or always disclosed a diagnosis to a patient. Over one-third of GPs (38%) reported that the key factor influencing their disclosure patterns was their perceptions of the patient's level of comprehension. Most GPs (90%) had never undergone any dementia specific training and most (83%) expressed a desire for this.


CONCLUSIONS
GPs experience difficulty diagnosing and disclosing a diagnosis of dementia to patients. To improve dementia care in Ireland, there is an urgent need to develop an active and more systematic approach to GP training in dementia care.
Dementia Services Information and Development Centre and Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. dsidc@stjames.ie
Suzanne
S
Cahill
Maeve
M
Clark
Cathal
C
Walsh
Henry
H
O'Connell
Brian
B
Lawlor
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D014342:Truth Disclosure