Physiotherapy students are underprepared to work with people living with dementia: a qualitative study

Abstract

Objectives: To 1) explore physiotherapy students' experience in caring for people with dementia; 2) develop a rich understanding of their perceived preparedness to work with people with dementia upon graduation; and 3) identify opportunities to improve dementia education from the perspectives of students.

Design: A qualitative study comprised of semi-structured interviews via web conferencing software. Thematic analysis was undertaken, with themes/subthemes derived and a qualitative framework generated.

Setting: Three Victorian Universities in Australia.

Participants: Physiotherapy students of entry-to-professional practice education programs (n = 17; mean age 23.7 years, 65% female), having completed at least 15 weeks of clinical placements.

Results: The overarching theme was that students' experience of providing care for people with dementia was variable. The three sub-themes were: 1) students experience significant challenges when working with people with dementia, 2) students experience a range of emotions when working with people with dementia, and 3) the quality of dementia learning experiences during entry-to-professional practice training is mostly inadequate. Students described the importance of the supervisor during clinical placements, and suggested incorporating 'real-life' scenario training in the classroom to assist them learn to manage the challenging symptoms of dementia.

Conclusion: Physiotherapy students believe that entry-to-practice dementia education is insufficient. These findings have important implications for the future planning and delivery of physiotherapy dementia education. CONTRIBUTION OF THE PAPER.

Keywords: Alzheimer disease; Dementia; Education; Physical therapists; Physiotherapists; Student.