The Singapore Family Physician  2018;44(3):54-59

General Practitioners' Perceptions of Dementia Care and Management in Singapore

Fiona Devi 1

Affiliations

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Keywords

Dementia; General Practitioners; Barriers; Management; Training;

Country

Singapore

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.