Department of Gerontology University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Int Psychogeriatr. 2013 May;25(5):805-13. doi: 10.1017/S1041610212002384. Epub 2013 Jan 25.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a common condition among elderly persons. Its early identification is important because MCI can be a precursor of dementia. Since physicians' knowledge and preferences regarding MCI can be critical in its identification, this study assessed family physicians' familiarity, knowledge, and preferences regarding help-seeking, diagnosis, and treatment options for MCI.
A convenience sample of 197 family physicians working in one of the largest Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) in Israel completed a structured questionnaire. Familiarity, knowledge, and preferences regarding diagnosis, help-seeking, and treatment of MCI were assessed.
The majority of the participants had heard about MCI but a third of those familiar with the term reported knowing almost nothing about it. Participants' objective knowledge was good regarding several causes of MCI, but 70% reported it to be caused by normal aging. Help-seeking and treatment preferences corresponded with the literature on MCI.
Our findings stress the need to broaden the understanding of primary care physicians' knowledge and preferences regarding MCI. This research can guide in developing continuous education programs to strengthen areas and groups of physicians reporting low knowledge.
轻度认知障碍（MCI）是老年人中常见的一种情况。早期识别很重要，因为 MCI 可能是痴呆的前兆。由于医生对 MCI 的认识和偏好可能对其识别至关重要，因此本研究评估了家庭医生对 MCI 的寻求帮助、诊断和治疗选择的熟悉程度、知识和偏好。
在以色列最大的健康维护组织（HMO）之一中，对 197 名家庭医生进行了方便抽样，他们完成了一份结构化问卷。评估了他们对 MCI 的诊断、寻求帮助和治疗的熟悉程度、知识和偏好。
大多数参与者听说过 MCI，但三分之一熟悉该术语的人表示对其知之甚少。参与者对 MCI 的几个病因的客观知识很好，但 70%的人认为病因是正常老化。寻求帮助和治疗的偏好与 MCI 的文献相符。
我们的研究结果强调了需要扩大对初级保健医生对 MCI 的认识和偏好的理解。这项研究可以指导制定持续的教育计划，以加强对知识水平较低的医生群体的教育。
