General Practitioner's Attitudes and Confidence in Managing Patients with Dementia in Singapore.

General Practitioner's Attitudes and Confidence in Managing Patients with Dementia in Singapore. Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2018 Mar;47(3):108-118 Authors: Subramaniam M, Ong HL, Abdin E, Chua BY, Shafie S, Siva Kumar FD, Foo S, Ng LL, Lum A, Vaingankar JA, Chong SA Abstract The number of people living with dementia is increasing globally as a result of an ageing population. General practitioners (GPs), as the front-line care providers in communities, are important stakeholders in the system of care for people with dementia. This commentary describes a study conducted to understand GPs' attitudes and self-perceived competencies when dealing with patients with dementia and their caregivers in Singapore. A set of study information sheet and survey questionnaires were mailed to selected GP clinics in Singapore. The survey, comprising the "GP Attitudes and Competencies Towards Dementia" questionnaire, was administered. A total of 400 GPs returned the survey, giving the study a response rate of 52.3%. About 74% of the GPs (n=296) were seeing dementia patients in their clinics. Almost all the GPs strongly agreed that early recognition of dementia served the welfare of the patients (n=385; 96%) and their relatives (n=387; 97%). About half (51.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed that they felt confident carrying out an early diagnosis of dementia. Factor analysis of questionnaire revealed 4 factors representing "benefits of early d...
Source: Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Ann Acad Med Singapore Source Type: research