Dementia care management in primary care practices: a descriptive study among nurse practitioners

More than 55 million people worldwide have dementia, and every year, 10 million new cases are diagnosed. In the United States (U.S.) alone, 6.9 million Americans ages 65 and older have dementia. Health systems are searching for innovative solutions to expand the primary care system's capacity to care for these patients. Advanced practice nurses such as nurse practitioners (NPs) are vital to increasing primary care capacity to meet the need, yet primary care NPs often face structural, organizational, and workforce challenges. More specifically, little is known about NPs who care for dementia patients in primary care settings. This study explored the practice structural capabilities, organizational context, and job outcomes (i.e., burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intent to leave the practice) among NPs providing care for patients with dementia in U.S. primary care practices.

We conducted a national cross-sectional survey of NPs using modified Dillman methods. Between 2021 and 2023, NPs working in primary care practices who cared for patients with dementia received a mail and online survey. Additional survey mailings, emails, postcard reminders, and phone calls encouraged non-respondents to participate. In total, 968 NPs responded across 847 practices. We estimated a response rate of 16.4-36.4%.

NPs reported that the quality of dementia care in their practices is poorer than the overall care provided. About 45% of NPs indicated that dementia care in their practices is less than "very good," while only 17% reported that the overall care delivered falls below that standard. Additionally, NPs reported significant deficits in practice structural capabilities for dementia care and challenges with administration within their organization. The findings show that over a third of NPs report burnout.

Given the projected growth in the number of patients with dementia and the growing workforce of NPs worldwide, policy and practice efforts should be directed toward strengthening primary care practices to provide quality care for dementia patients. Bolstering NP workforce capacity and supporting NP roles in dementia care could improve organizational capacity to provide dementia care. However, widespread burnout among NPs found in our study could undermine their contribution to the dementia care workforce.