TY - JOUR
T1 - Physicians' Perceptions of Their Role in Treating Dementia-related Behavior Problems in the Nursing Home
T2 - Actual Practice and the Ideal
AU - Cohen-Mansfield, Jiska
AU - Jensen, Barbara
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded in part by an AMDA Foundation LTC Research Network Seeds Grant.
PY - 2008/10
Y1 - 2008/10
N2 - Objectives: To describe physicians' perceptions of their role in treating the behavior problems associated with dementia that commonly occur in the nursing home, both the way it is currently and the way they think it should be. Design: This is a descriptive study presenting responses to a Web-based questionnaire. Participants: Participants were 110 physicians who provide services in nursing homes. Measurements: Likert-type ratings of items pertaining to the role of the physician in treating behavior problems in nursing homes, with respect to both current and ideal practices. Results: Physicians perceived the most characteristic part of both their current and ideal role to be determining if there is a treatable medical problem that is causing the behavior. They rated referral to a mental health specialist as the least important aspect of their current role, but rated prescribing psychotropic medication as the item they thought should be least important. Ideally, physicians believed that all aspects of their current role in treating behavior problems should increase except for prescribing psychotropic medication. Gender and for-profit/public/nonprofit status were the demographic and facility characteristics that were most likely to influence physicians' ratings on individual items. Conclusion: Physicians believe that most aspects of their involvement in treating behavior problems associated with dementia in nursing homes should increase, the exception being prescription of psychotropic medication.
AB - Objectives: To describe physicians' perceptions of their role in treating the behavior problems associated with dementia that commonly occur in the nursing home, both the way it is currently and the way they think it should be. Design: This is a descriptive study presenting responses to a Web-based questionnaire. Participants: Participants were 110 physicians who provide services in nursing homes. Measurements: Likert-type ratings of items pertaining to the role of the physician in treating behavior problems in nursing homes, with respect to both current and ideal practices. Results: Physicians perceived the most characteristic part of both their current and ideal role to be determining if there is a treatable medical problem that is causing the behavior. They rated referral to a mental health specialist as the least important aspect of their current role, but rated prescribing psychotropic medication as the item they thought should be least important. Ideally, physicians believed that all aspects of their current role in treating behavior problems should increase except for prescribing psychotropic medication. Gender and for-profit/public/nonprofit status were the demographic and facility characteristics that were most likely to influence physicians' ratings on individual items. Conclusion: Physicians believe that most aspects of their involvement in treating behavior problems associated with dementia in nursing homes should increase, the exception being prescription of psychotropic medication.
KW - Nursing home
KW - behavior problems
KW - dementia
KW - physicians
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=52749098697&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jamda.2008.02.011
DO - 10.1016/j.jamda.2008.02.011
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AN - SCOPUS:52749098697
SN - 1525-8610
VL - 9
SP - 552
EP - 557
JO - Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
JF - Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
IS - 8
ER -