Assessment of dementia knowledge and its associated factors among final year medical undergraduates in selected universities across Malaysia

Abstract

Background The elderly population in Malaysia are projected to reach almost one third of the total population by 2040. The absence of a National Dementia Strategy (NDS) in preparing the healthcare services for the ageing population is compounded by the lack of assessment of preparedness of future healthcare workers to manage complications related to ageing i.e., dementia. Studies in countries with NDS demonstrated lack of dementia knowledge among medical undergraduates. Hence, this study aimed to assess the knowledge on dementia among final year medical undergraduates in Malaysia and its associated factors, using the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS). Methods This cross-sectional study, employed multistage sampling method to recruit final year medical undergraduates from eleven selected public and private medical institutions across Malaysia. Online self-administered measures were delivered to final year medical undergraduates through representatives of medical students’ society after approval from Deanery and institutional ethics board of participating universities. The measure collected demographic information, previous dementia exposure (i.e., formal or informal) and the 25-item Likert scale DKAS. Bivariate analysis and linear regression were conducted to confirm factors influencing dementia knowledge components. Results A total of 464 respondents from 7 universities participated in this study. Overall dementia knowledge among respondents with and without exposure, was low, with average score of 29.60 ± 6.97 and 28.22 ± 6.98, respectively. DKAS subscales analysis revealed respondents scored highest in care consideration subscale (9.49 ± 2.37) and lowest in communication and behaviour subscale (4.38 ± 2.39). However, only causes and characteristic subscale recorded significantly higher knowledge score among respondents with previous exposure (7.88 ± 2.58) (p =0.015). Higher knowledge of dementia was associated with previous formal dementia education (p=0.037) and informal occupational/working experience in caring for dementia patients (p = 0.001). Informal occupational/working experience (B = 4.141, 95% CI 1.748–6.535, p = 0.001) had greater effect than formal education (i.e. lectures/workshops) (B = 1.393, 95% CI 0.086–2.700, p = 0.037) to influence respondents’ knowledge on dementia. Conclusion Dementia knowledge among final year medical undergraduates is low. To improve dementia knowledge, Malaysian medical curriculum should be reviewed to incorporate formal education and informal occupational/working experience, as early as in undergraduate training to help prepare future healthcare providers to recognise dementia among ageing Malaysians.

An Assessment of Dementia Knowledge and Its Associated Factors Among Health College Students in Saudi Arabia

“…Our results showed that the mean knowledge score of the participants was 13.68 ± 3.18 (out of 25). This score was lower than a previous study conducted in Malaysia, which revealed that overall dementia knowledge among participants with and without exposure was low, with an average score of 29.60 ± 6.97 and 28.22 ± 6.98, respectively [1]. Another study conducted in Hong Kong reported that the overall dementia knowledge score was 7.4 (SD = 3.7) out of 20 indicating a generally poor knowledge of dementia, which is in agreement with our results [7].…”

“…When we evaluated DKAS subscales, we found that respondents scored the highest in care considerations (4.17 ± 1.30) and lowest in risks and health promotion (2.89 ± 1.96). According to a Malaysian study, respondents rated the highest on the care consideration subscale (9.49 ± 2.37), which confirms our findings, and the lowest on the communication and conduct subscale (4.38 ± 2.39), which contradicts our findings [1].…”

“…We employed a self-administered questionnaire, which was adapted from a previous study on comparable objectives [1]. The questionnaire contains two sections.…”

“…Rapid demographic transitions due to increased life expectancy have resulted in a growing prevalence of the elderly population [1]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people aged 60 and more years is predicted to rise over the next 15 years and more than double by 2050 [1]. Dementia is one of the major public health concerns associated with the elderly population.…”

“…However, their general knowledge of dementia and Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS) scores were satisfactory [13]. A study done in Malaysia found that the overall dementia knowledge among final year medical undergraduates from different public and private medical institutions was low [1]. In another study conducted on the general population, 32.5% of the participants knew about dementia, whereas 67.5% reveal no or little knowledge.…”