Dementia-related primary care training needs: a qualitative study

Background Most guidelines recommend that people living with dementia and their care partners should be managed in primary care. However, the knowledge and confidence of these teams in managing dementia is low, and training programs are lacking. Objective To identify the training needs of primary care teams by integrating insights from these professionals, as well as dementia patients and their care partners. Methods Qualitative research methods were applied, using focus group interviews with health professionals and individual interviews with people living with dementia and their care partners. A direct qualitative analysis of 15 recorded interviews (3 focus groups and 12 individuals) was performed using the transcribed data. Results Primary care professionals recognize the importance of continuous education on dementia and expressed the need for more knowledge about diagnosis, symptom management, and interpersonal and communication skills. Care partners and dementia patients highlighted the need for a better diagnostic disclosure process, improved continuity of care, and availability of greater postdiagnosis support. Conclusion Our study, novel in Latin America, strongly supported the need for more training in dementia for primary care professionals, as well as for additional content and information not usually included in standard dementia education.