Improving Dementia Care Through Physician Education: Some Challenges

Most of the estimated 4.5 million Americans who currently suffer from Alzheimer's disease are cared for by primary care physicians rather than geriatric or other specialists. Although clinical practice guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for diagnosing and managing dementia, a number of barriers prevent their implementation in the primary care setting. These barriers include the nature of dementing illness which make its symptoms difficult to recognize and respond to, time and other constraints in the primary care setting, and physician attitudes. As well as presenting sound evidence-based knowledge, effective medical education programs must use effective educational approaches and must seek strategies to overcome these barriers.