[Stigma among primary healthcare providers: a mixed-method study]

This study analyzed how stigma occurs in primary healthcare providers based on dimensions of knowledge, attitudes, and practices targeting people living with dementia syndrome. A mixed-methods, sequential explanatory study was carried out with 122 healthcare providers from 91 Family Health Units in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, from 2023 to 2024. Its quantitative stage applied the following instruments: Healthcare for Dementia: A View of Primary Care and Attitude Questionnaire. In total, two focus groups with 11 participants were carried out the qualitative stage of this research. Analysis of the results integrated quantitative and qualitative to find convergences and interpretative divergences. Results showed participants' insufficient knowledge and technical preparedness regarding dementia due to lack of specific training, suggesting a structural and social stigma. Participants showed stigmatizing misconceptions regarding the condition and people living with it and professional insecurity and uncertainty in care actions, which negatively contribute to patients' timely diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The dissonance between attitudes and practices indicated manifestations of implicit stigma. Structural, social, and implicit stigma in primary healthcare providers compromise timely diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of patients and family members, perpetuating practices centered on dementia and care neglect. These findings reinforce the need for specific and continuous training to reduce stigma and promote person-centered care.