Effect of a dementia education intervention on the confidence and attitudes of general practitioners in Australia: a pretest post-test study

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study assessed the impact of a Dementia Education Workshop on the confidence and attitudes of general practitioner (GP) registrars (GPR) and GP supervisors (GPS) in relation to the early diagnosis and management of dementia.DesignPretest post-test research design.SettingContinuing medical education in Australia.Participants332 GPR and 114 GPS.InterventionsRegistrars participated in a 3-hour face-to-face workshop while supervisors participated in a 2-hour-modified version designed to assist with the education and supervision of registrars.Main outcome measuresThe General Practitioners Confidence and Attitude Scale for Dementia was used to assess overall confidence, attitude to care and engagement. A t-test for paired samples was used to identify differences from preworkshop (T1) to postworkshop (T2) for each GP group. A t-test for independent samples was undertaken to ascertain differences between each workshop group. A Cohen’s d was calculated to measure the effect size of any difference between T1 and T2 scores.ResultsSignificant increases in scores were recorded forConfidence in Clinical Abilities,Attitude to CareandEngagementbetween pretest and post-test periods. GPR exhibited the greatest increase in scores forConfidence in Clinical AbilitiesandEngagement.ConclusionsTargeted educational interventions can improve attitude, increase confidence and reduce negative attitudes towards engagement of participating GPs.