'Timely' diagnosis of dementia: what does it mean? A narrative analysis of GPs' accounts.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To explore general practitioners' (GP) perspectives on the meaning of 'timeliness' in dementia diagnosis.

Design

Narrative interview study.

Setting

UK academic department of primary care.

Participants

Seven practising GPs with experience of conveying a diagnosis of dementia.

Methods

GPs' narrative commentaries of encounters with patients with suspected dementia were audio-recorded and transcribed resulting in 51 pages of text (26 757words). A detailed narrative analysis of doctors' accounts was conducted.

Results

Diagnosis of dementia is a complex medical and social practice. Clinicians attend to multiple competing priorities while providing individually tailored patient care, against a background of shifting political and institutional

SUBMITTER: Dhedhi SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3948579 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature