Journal of Dementia
Open Access

Dementia; Radiography; Education; Patient voice

Introduction

Dementia is a progressive neurological condition brought on by diseases of the brain. It currently affects approximately 910, 00 people in the UK. it is the leading cause of death in the UK and the health condition that people over the age of 55 most fear [1]. Changes in social behavior and memory, cognition, communication, and language difficulties are typical symptoms. Dementia is a condition that is stigmatized, and there is a lack of public and professional awareness of the condition, which limits how well people, can live with it. People with dementia have worse healthcare experiences and outcomes than people without dementia [2]. Negative attitudes toward dementia have been found to delay diagnosis and treatment of the disease6 and prevent professionals from appropriately involving people with dementia in healthcare decision-making. A knowledge gap in dementia understanding among healthcare professionals has been recognized as an underpinning factor. A longitudinal, experiential education program gives radiography students the opportunity to develop a more holistic understanding of dementia and the impact it may have on the individual and their family members [3].

Method

In order to provide appropriate person-centered care, radiographers and other healthcare professionals should be well-versed in dementia. It has been proposed that the quick moving climate of a clinical imaging division might present difficulties for individuals with dementia [4], and that radiographers might miss the mark on certainty and information on dementia to meet their needs.10 a similar report found that radiographers and radiography understudies detailed having pessimistic suspicions of dementia and felt there was an absence of formal dementia preparing that unfavourably influenced on their certainty, correspondence, collaborations and capacities to help an individual with dementia through an output [5]. A qualitative study of dementia patients, caregivers, radiographers, and radiography students found that a variety of factors contributed to poor care experiences in medical imaging departments; poor communication, a lack of understanding of dementia among students and radiographers, rigid procedures, and overly stimulating physical environments were all factors that contributed to poor care, according to the same study [6]. This is troubling because the NICE guidance on dementia assessment includes medical imaging as an essential component.

Result

It is proposed that undergrad preparing is an ideal opportunity to convey dementia instruction, when understudies might be more open to learning and their perspectives possibly more pliable. There is a lack of research on the impact of undergraduate radiographerspecific dementia-specific experiential education programs [7]. It is unclear whether this is due to a lack of evaluation of such programs, a lack of more individualized dementia education, or both. The Time for Dementia (TFD) program is one way undergraduate healthcare education is delivered. It brings together a person with dementia and their caregiver with pairs of students who visit them over a two-year period. It was developed at a medical school in the South of England for medical and nursing students. by allowing students to hear the voices and experiences of dementia patients and caregivers and learn about dementia [8]. TFD aims to increase students’ dementia knowledge, attitudes, and care approaches by hearing the family’s perspectives. Follow-up qualitative interviews and focus groups also demonstrated that students believed their dementia understanding and attitudes improved, enabling them to provide better person-centered care to their patients with dementia.16 A mixed-methods evaluation of TFD found a higher level of dementia knowledge and greater attitude change in students who undertook the program compared to students who did not [9].

Discussion

The experiential idea of TFD gave the understudies a comprehensive growth opportunity where they could notice, and foster cozy associations with families residing with dementia beyond a clinical setting, and consequently sincerely hear the patient (and carer) voice. This gave them a chance to learn more about how dementia affects people over time, which might not have been possible with traditional teaching methods. The radiography students also appreciated and valued the opportunity to connect with TFD families and learn about their lives, which fuelled their desire to participate in the program. Understudies had the option to perceive the advantages of this experiential learning model over talks or positions as a method for finding out about a drawn out condition like dementia [10]. This novel aspect of TFD may be especially important to this student group because, in contrast to other trainee healthcare professionals, radiography students rarely have opportunities for community-based placements or time to develop relationships with patients outside of the medical setting. the association of patients in medical services education23,24 biggestly affects understudy learning and perspectives. It is important to note that this was a small exploratory study, and further research is required to examine the longterm impact of the TFD programme on the dementia attitudes and care skills of radiography students as they move into professional practice. Our findings are similar to those of other TFD evaluative studies and suggest that this program can also provide a space for radiography students to move their learning beyond a biomedical understanding of dementia by witnessing how the condition impacts people’s daily lives and their coping mechanisms.

This demonstrates, as acknowledged by the Society and College of Radiography14, that in order to ensure better care experiences and outcomes for people with dementia, it is necessary to equip the radiography workforce with the strategies to adapt their working practices and the confidence to challenge dementia-unfriendly practices regardless of people’s level of seniority. Installing TFD inside undergrad radiography preparing may assist with further developing the dementia perspectives and information on the future labor force, through this base up strategy, albeit this is probably going to be a long interaction. Trainee radiographers participating in the TFD program could collaborate with qualified staff to support them in improving their dementia-friendly practices for quicker change. In order to guarantee outcomes that are both beneficial to both parties, it could be the goal of future research to learn how to create these environments where trainee staff members feel confident and at ease sharing their knowledge with qualified staff.

Conclusion

Overall, the findings suggest that TFD could be a useful experiential training program that gives radiography students a more complete understanding of the difficulties of living with dementia and the interpersonal skills they need to work with families who are affected. Students can use these valuable learning outcomes in their professional practice to positively influence the workforce of the future in radiography.

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