Stigma of Alzheimer's disease in healthcare professionals: Numbers that still surprise

Abstract

Background Even in high income countries , the general public and health care professionals still have some stigma about dementia. Despite campaigns people still delay seeking out help advice when they first start to forget and to worry about their own memory or that of a family member. Method A simple multiple choice questionnaire, with questions about knowledge about Alzheimer's disease, evolution and prognosis and personal questions about perception, feelings and prejudices about the disease, was applied to physicians in the field of neurology and non‐neurologists. The sample was made up of 5 different groups of health professionals : second and third year neurology residents, general neurology assistants, neurologists specializing in dementia , non‐neurologists and nursing technicians working in a neurology ward. Result Doctors are expected to have less prejudice and misconceptions about diseases, however, although rare, we still find some concepts inadequate and mainly, some responses from the questionnaires pointed out a certain stigma in relation to Alzheimer's disease, mainly in the group of non‐neurologists e some nursing technicians. Conclusion Information is the better way to combat the stigma. More campaigns, more medical information and most importantly, more continuing medical education in dementia needs to be provided to health professionals.

The relationship between perceived stigma and perceived stress in cognitive decline: a survey of persons with mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers

“…Sarmento (2020) distributed a multiple-choice questionnaire to neurologists, neurology residents, and neurology staff about their general knowledge, opinions, feelings and perceptions, and prejudices. The results demonstrated a significant level of stigma in all groups, especially non-neurologists (Sarmento, 2020). Many family physicians, who are often the first point of contact for persons with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), feel ill-equipped to provide care for this population (Bacsu et al, 2020).…”

“…Indeed, AD stigma is pervasive in the general population, family members, caregivers, and even in physicians (Bacsu et al, 2020;Sarmento, 2020) and is not limited to persons with AD. AD stigma affects persons with MCI, who may never develop AD, and includes healthcare encounters, which is compounded by the additional challenge of differentiating MCI from early-stage dementia for many providers (Beard and Neary, 2013).…”

The Social Construction of Dementia: Implications for Healthcare Experiences of Caregivers and People Living with Dementia

“…Clinicians can harbor stigma and often dismiss symptoms of dementia. 9 There are patterns of discrimination in acute care settings, with people who present with confusion receiving less contact time, infantilization by hospital staff, and inappropriate discharge. 10 Misconceptions about dementia also shaped healthcare training.…”