General Practitioners' Perceptions of Dementia Care and Management in Singapore
- Author:
Fiona Devi
1
Author Information
- Collective Name:SALEHA SHAFIE, LAU YING WEN, CHUA BOON YIANG, ONG HUI LIN, SOPHIA FOO, NG LI LING, ALVIN LUM, SIOW ANN CHONG, JANHAVI AJIT VAINGANKAR, MYTHILY SUBRAMANIAM
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: Dementia; General Practitioners; Barriers; Management; Training；
- From:The Singapore Family Physician 2018;44(3):54-59
- CountrySingapore
- Language:English
- Abstract: Objective: The current study explored the perceptions of General Practitioners (GPs) on barriers to care for dementia patients, reasons for referring them to tertiary hospitals for dementia-related symptoms, and the types of training and support that GPs would like to have to provide better dementia care in Singapore.Method: A total of 400 respondents completed the barriers to care in dementia management and training needs questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 52.3 percent. An invitation letter with a web link to the online survey form and a hardcopy of the questionnaires were mailed to GP clinics. The survey form was completed either online or by mailing back the hardcopy questionnaire. Results: Most GPs (n=391; 98 percent) agreed that the main barrier was that dementia patients tend to require more consultation time. The most common reason cited by GPs (n= 327; 82 percent) for referring patients to tertiary hospitals was the severity of symptoms. Out of 226 GPs who were agreeable to managing dementia patients, 75 percent (n=170) of them identified the fact that having direct access to a multidisciplinary team would support them in providing dementia care. Web-based training on the management of dementia patients (n=148; 65 percent) was the top training need recognised. Conclusion: GPs play a crucial role in managing dementia care in Singapore. The main difficulty they face is the longer consultation that a dementia patient requires and the need for support through multidisciplinary care. Web-based training programmes on diagnosis and management of dementia patients would address GPs’ uncertainties and equip them to better promote dementia care in Singapore.
