Education to Improve Dementia Care: Impact of a Structured Clinical Reasoning Approach

Dementia often goes undiagnosed. A workshop was developed to provide primary care clinicians with a structured clinical reasoning approach to dementia diagnosis and brain map tool to differentiate type of dementia. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of this approach on self-perceived changes in knowledge, confidence, and ability to assess and manage memory problems and on self-reported application of learning to clinical practice.

Participants of 20 workshops (N=392) were invited to complete a reaction survey and of these, participants of 12 consecutive workshops (N=242) were invited to complete a 3-month follow-up survey to assess application of new learning to clinical practice and challenges experienced in doing so.

In total, 355 reaction and 108 follow-up surveys were completed. Mean ratings of usefulness reflected that participants considered the clinical reasoning approach and brain map very useful to learning and knowledge transfer. At follow-up, the majority of respondents reported they were more confident (79%) and better able to assess (79%) persons with cognitive impairment and more confident (88%) and better able to manage (86%) persons with cognitive impairment. A number of practice changes and challenges were identified.

These results add to a growing literature on strategies to improve dementia care with effective continuing medical education. A structured clinical reasoning approach to cognitive impairment is effective in improving confidence and ability to assess and manage patients with cognitive impairment, although participants continue to experience challenges in managing this complex condition.