Dementia Education for Physiotherapy Students: A Questionnaire of Australian and Canadian Entry-To-Professional Practice Programs

Abstract

Purpose: To determine (1) what dementia education is provided to entry-to-professional practice physiotherapy students in Canada and Australia; (2) how this education is delivered; and (3) the challenges in delivering this education. Methods: A designated education provider from each university who offered entry-to-professional practice physiotherapy programs received a web-based questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. Results: Responses from 30/36 eligible universities resulted in 35 physiotherapy programs included for analysis. Canadian programs had a median of 5.5 hours (range, min-max, 0.5–13.0 hours), and Australia 4.0 hours (range, min-max, 2.0–22.0 hours) of dementia education. Lectures and tutorials were the most common method of delivery. There were varying amounts of education on topics such as cognition, communication, and behavioural symptoms and strategies. Challenges included dementia being difficult to teach, student stigma about people with dementia, difficulty providing students with real-life exposure to people with dementia, engaging students in the topic, and integrating dementia education into full programs. Conclusion: Dementia education across programs varies, with some programs lacking content on key topics such as cognitive, communication, and behavioural symptoms and strategies. These results may help physiotherapy accreditation organizations and universities develop dementia education standards and content.