Clinician beliefs and practices in dementia care: Implications for health educators

Research on assessment and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is moving at a rapid pace. Continuing education (CE) providers must translate new findings for clinicians so as to enhance patient care. A two-page survey was distributed by mail to a sample of 5,000 licensed Missouri clinicians to gather data in support of this translation process. Clinicians were surveyed regarding their AD-related knowledge, their felt confidence and attitudes concerning dementia care, and their continuing education preferences. Respondents (n = 834) included primary care physicians (53%), advanced practice nurses (23%), specialist physicians (18%), and physician assistants (5%). Differences in knowledge and confidence levels were found across professional categories. Specialist physicians reported the highest scores. Rural providers largely did not differ from their urban counterparts. Respondents reported a greater preference for live, in-person programming than for technology-driven offerings (CD/DVD, satellite, Internet). CE providers can use such information to target programs to meet the learning needs and preferences of different clinician groups.