Measuring primary care patients' attitudes about dementia screening

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Dementia screening in primary care is crucial for early intervention.
• Understanding patient attitudes is essential for successful implementation of screening programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Perceptions Regarding Investigational Screening for Memory in Primary Care (PRISM-PC) questionnaire.
• To capture primary care patients' attitudes regarding dementia screening, including acceptance, perceived benefits, and harms.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 315 patients aged 65+ from urban and rural primary care clinics.
• The PRISM-PC questionnaire was administered through face-to-face or telephone interviews.
• Exploratory factor analyses were used to determine the underlying dimensions of the scales.

Main Results:

• The PRISM-PC questionnaire comprises two scales: acceptance of screening and perceived harms/benefits.
• Acceptance scale dimensions include knowledge of dementia risk and testing.
• Benefits/harms scale dimensions encompass perceived benefits, stigma, suffering, and impact on independence.

Conclusions:

• The PRISM-PC questionnaire effectively captures primary care patients' acceptance of dementia screening.
• The questionnaire also measures patients' perceptions of the harms and benefits associated with dementia screening.