Knowledge and attitudes towards dementia among general practitioners of the basic health system

• Grant number: 16/23634-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2017
• End date: January 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Alessandro Ferrari Jacinto
• Grantee: Pedro Paulo Cavinato Junior
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The prevalence of dementia has increased in Brazil in the last three decades. Dementia occurs due to changes in cognitive domains with serious consequences for the functioning of the person, which generate dependence to perform basic activities of daily living and total loss of autonomy. In recent decades many researchers have encouraged the realization of cognitive screening with several goals, among them, to promote the prevention and prepare the family for the diversity of problems, social, economic, psychological, accompanying the evolution of dementia. Few Brazilian studies have assessed the knowledge of general practitioners on the diagnosis of dementia. A recent study in Brazil performed the cross-cultural adaptation to the Brazilian context of two instruments: "knowledge" and "attitudes" about dementia. The aim of this study is to detect, through these instruments, knowledge and attitude of physicians of the primary care network and enable them to different types of dementia in relation to its characteristics, diagnosis and treatment. (AU)