Barriers and facilitators to diagnosing dementia in migrant populations: A systematic review of European health professionals' perspectives

Background

Rates of dementia are increasing in migrant populations, however, there is evidence that they remain underrepresented in older adult healthcare services. Barriers and facilitators to accessing dementia care have been explored from the viewpoint of migrants and caregivers, however, no review has synthesised the literature pertaining to clinicians' viewpoints. This review aimed to explore clinician perspectives as to the barriers and facilitators in assessing and diagnosing dementia in migrant populations.

Methods

A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Databases included EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE and ProQuest. Qualitative studies from the perspective of European clinicians were included. The methodological quality of each study was assessed using the Critical Appraisals Programme Tool (CASP). The analysis adopted a thematic synthesis approach.

Results

The review included 11 qualitative studies relating to the diagnosis of dementia in migrants. The quality of the studies was generally high, although few studies reported on the relationship between the researcher and the participants. The data related more to the barriers in diagnosing dementia, and few facilitators were found. Four themes were constructed: (1) service access (2) perceptions of migrant beliefs (3) relationships and (4) quality of the diagnostic process.

Conclusions

The review is limited by the small number of studies available. The findings highlight significant clinical concerns in the diagnosis of migrants, in particular the underrepresentation of migrants within services and the barriers to access they may face. The quality of the diagnostic process was often thought to be undermined by a lack of culturally sensitive assessment tools. Further research on the use of an interpreter in diagnosing dementia is needed.