Primary care provider preferences on dementia training and care navigation services: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT BackgroundDementia has no cure but interventions can stabilize the progression of cognitive, functional, and behavioral symptoms. Primary care providers (PCPs) are vital for the early detection, and long-term management of these diseases, given their gatekeeping role in the healthcare system. However, PCPs rarely implement evidence-based dementia care due to barriers such as limited dementia knowledge and time. Training PCPs and linking them to dementia care navigators may address these barriers. ObjectiveWe explored the preferences of PCPs about dementia care training programs and dementia care navigation services. MethodsWe conducted qualitative interviews with 24 PCPs recruited nationally via snowball sampling. We conducted all interviews via videocall and organized the transcripts for qualitative review to identify codes and themes, using a pragmatic approach, a qualitative description methodology, and thematic analysis methods. ResultsPCP preferences varied regarding the topic, duration, materials, modality, and incentives of the dementia training. With regards to dementia care navigation services, preferences varied with respect to whether they benefited the PCP or the patient, and which were the optimal qualities of a dementia care navigator. ConclusionsDementia training and care navigation services would benefit from embedding cultural proficiency within their content, materials, and navigation abilities. EMR-based decision-support tools would facilitate PCPs’ implementation of evidence-based dementia care.