Dementia care practices among community healthcare workers in Vietnam: a qualitative descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Vietnam is one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world and the likelihood that someone may have dementia rises dramatically as the population ages. Although caring for persons living with dementia is important, little is known about the circumstances under which community healthcare professionals in Vietnam provide dementia care. This study aimed to describe the practice of caring for persons with dementia among community healthcare professionals in Vietnam. METHODS: This qualitative descriptive study was conducted with 23 community healthcare professionals recruited from 10 primary healthcare centers, representing 10 of 24 districts in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Participants were physicians (n = 11), physician's assistants (n = 8) and community nurses (n = 4). Data were collected through in-depth face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Interview data were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the 23 participants was 44.6 ± 8.8 years; most were female (n = 16, 69.6%); and the mean time of working in the field of dementia care was 15.9 ± 8.4 years. Analysis of the interview data revealed five categories, which informed how care was provided: 1) Knowledge about dementia and its prevalence among older adults; 2) Identification of dementia in Vietnam; 3) Lack of attention to early diagnosis of dementia and difficulty in providing continuous care; 4) Dependence on family members for prompt and continuous care; and 5) challenges to providing dementia care. Despite having knowledge about dementia, some healthcare professionals incorrectly viewed dementia as an inevitable part of the ageing process. Participants reported that their limited training and practical experience in caring for persons with dementia caused a lack of confidence in dementia care. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of care provided to persons living with dementia was negatively impacted by the limited training of healthcare personnel. The diagnosis, treatment, and provision of supportive services to persons living with dementia and their families are substantial challenges for the Vietnamese healthcare system. It is crucial to initiate and cultivate dementia care education programs aimed at expanding curricula for physicians, physicians' assistants, and nurses.

A literacy-addressing training model to improve doctor-patient communication between community healthcare professional and patients with diabetes / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Diabetes patients in China is large in number, low level of health literacy, and their self management mainly relies on community doctor's health propaganda and education, as a result, it is very important to train community healthcare professionals to improve their communication skills with patients.Guided by the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), the researchers developed a literacy-addressing training model specifically through: 1) low literacy healthcare education materials written in plain language, simple text, maximal white space, and behavior-oriented images or pictograms;2) a standardized health communication curriculum to promote simple communication with decreased jargon usage, teach teach back, and enhance shared goal-setting;3) use of standardized patients to enhance doctor-patient communication training;and 4) MOOC and a series of videos demonstrating doctor-patient communication scenarios.The novel training model can be used in continuing medical education through traditional on-site classes or by E-learning platform.It is expected to improve the communication skills of community doctors and patients, improve the satisfaction of both doctors and patients, and the effect of patients' self-management.