{"title":"Unveiling the qualities of a 'good doctor': family carers' and healthcare professionals' perspective on dementia healthcare in India.","authors":"Upasana Baruah, Rachita Rao, Josefine Antoniades, Santosh Loganathan, Mathew Varghese, Claudia Cooper, Mike Kent, Briony Dow, Bianca Brijnath","doi":"10.1186/s12939-025-02408-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The escalating prevalence of dementia in India highlights the need for effective dementia care, particularly in a context marked by limited specialized services and resources. In response to this growing challenge, we sought to contribute to the understanding of societal expectations of multidisciplinary dementia care by exploring the qualities that family carers and healthcare professionals value in dementia care professionals within a multidisciplinary team in India.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The aim of the study was to describe the perspectives of carers and healthcare professionals regarding the attributes of a 'good doctor' in the context of accessing care for individuals with dementia in India. The research involved qualitative face-to-face interviews with 19 family carers and 25 healthcare professionals in Bengaluru, India, with data collected between March and July 2022.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Using a thematic analysis framework, four main themes emerged: [1] accessibility and availability [2], empathetic engagement and effective communication [3], knowledge and competency, and [4] systemic reforms and culturally competent multilevel support. Public and professionals' perceptions of 'good' care appeared to have shifted from seeking cures to prioritizing time, counselling, and information, reflecting a more holistic understanding of support needed. Interviewees valued interactions in which they perceived practitioners acting with patience, compassion, respect for dignity of the person with dementia, and professional competence. Effective communication was key. Challenges in accessing quality dementia care included inadequate infrastructure, lack of specialized services, and long waiting times. The importance of multidisciplinary approaches and the need for systemic reforms to enhance service delivery were highlighted.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Findings highlight a need for training programs for healthcare professionals to foster the values inherent to delivery of person-centered care.</p>","PeriodicalId":13745,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Equity in Health","volume":"24 1","pages":"46"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal for Equity in Health","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-025-02408-3","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: The escalating prevalence of dementia in India highlights the need for effective dementia care, particularly in a context marked by limited specialized services and resources. In response to this growing challenge, we sought to contribute to the understanding of societal expectations of multidisciplinary dementia care by exploring the qualities that family carers and healthcare professionals value in dementia care professionals within a multidisciplinary team in India.
Methods: The aim of the study was to describe the perspectives of carers and healthcare professionals regarding the attributes of a 'good doctor' in the context of accessing care for individuals with dementia in India. The research involved qualitative face-to-face interviews with 19 family carers and 25 healthcare professionals in Bengaluru, India, with data collected between March and July 2022.
Results: Using a thematic analysis framework, four main themes emerged: [1] accessibility and availability [2], empathetic engagement and effective communication [3], knowledge and competency, and [4] systemic reforms and culturally competent multilevel support. Public and professionals' perceptions of 'good' care appeared to have shifted from seeking cures to prioritizing time, counselling, and information, reflecting a more holistic understanding of support needed. Interviewees valued interactions in which they perceived practitioners acting with patience, compassion, respect for dignity of the person with dementia, and professional competence. Effective communication was key. Challenges in accessing quality dementia care included inadequate infrastructure, lack of specialized services, and long waiting times. The importance of multidisciplinary approaches and the need for systemic reforms to enhance service delivery were highlighted.
Conclusion: Findings highlight a need for training programs for healthcare professionals to foster the values inherent to delivery of person-centered care.
期刊介绍：
International Journal for Equity in Health is an Open Access, peer-reviewed, online journal presenting evidence relevant to the search for, and attainment of, equity in health across and within countries. International Journal for Equity in Health aims to improve the understanding of issues that influence the health of populations. This includes the discussion of political, policy-related, economic, social and health services-related influences, particularly with regard to systematic differences in distributions of one or more aspects of health in population groups defined demographically, geographically, or socially.
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