Graham C, Ballard C, Sham P
Maudsley Hospital, London, UK.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 1997 Apr;12(4):470-3.
The authors wished to determine how much carers from different settings caring for patients with dementia knew about the disorder and elicit their main concerns about the disease.
A survey questionnaire was administered to 136 carers.
Two old age psychiatric services and an Alzheimer's support group in urban areas of the UK.
The carers came from one of three categories: (1) carers with no prior contact with elderly mental health services (preassessment group); (2) carers who had been in contact with mental health care professionals (postassessment group); (3) carers in contact with an Alzheimer's Disease Society support group.
A questionnaire on the subject of dementia. Carers' worries about the disorder were also recorded.
Carers in contact with an Alzheimer's support group were the most knowledgeable and carers in the preassessment group were the least knowledgeable on the subject of dementia. While carers in the postassessment group had a level of knowledge above that of the preassessment group, this difference failed to reach statistical significance.
The study highlights the need for elderly mental health teams to evaluate their methods of dissemination of knowledge to carers, develop educational packages for carers and evaluate their effectiveness.
作者希望确定来自不同机构的痴呆症患者照料者对该疾病的了解程度，并了解他们对该病的主要担忧。
对136名照料者进行了问卷调查。
英国城市地区的两个老年精神科服务机构和一个阿尔茨海默病支持小组。
照料者来自以下三类之一：（1）之前未与老年心理健康服务机构有过接触的照料者（评估前组）；（2）曾与精神卫生保健专业人员有过接触的照料者（评估后组）；（3）与阿尔茨海默病协会支持小组有联系的照料者。
一份关于痴呆症主题的问卷。还记录了照料者对该疾病的担忧。
与阿尔茨海默病支持小组有联系的照料者在痴呆症主题方面知识最丰富，评估前组的照料者知识最匮乏。虽然评估后组的照料者知识水平高于评估前组，但这种差异未达到统计学意义。
该研究强调老年心理健康团队需要评估他们向照料者传播知识的方法，为照料者制定教育套餐并评估其效果。
