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How does Australian primary care face dementia? Identifying current practice and barriers in dementia diagnosis and management in Australian primary care – a qualitative interview study
Lee‐Fay Low, Caroline E. Gibson, Annica Barcenilla‐Wong, Sharon Daniel, Lyn Phillipson, Meredith D Gresham, Kate Laver, Edwin Tan et al.. BMC Family Practice, 2026-03-21
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Four themes described current primary care practitioner practices in dementia diagnosis and management (1) Family concern triggers dementia investigation (2) GPs delay conversations about dementia (3) Completing routine cognitive assessments in the 75+ health assessment, and (4) Variability in post-diagnostic care. Barriers to identifying, diagnosing, and managing dementia were organised according to the levels of the socioecological framework: ‘There is not much we can do’ (individual), ‘A difficult conversation’ (Interpersonal), ‘Hierarchy affects team communication’ (Organisational), ‘It’s hard to get services’ (Community) and ‘If it’s not financially viable, it won’t be done’ (Policy). Enhancing care for people living with dementia and their carers requires multifaceted interventions that not only strengthen the capability and motivation of primary care practitioners, but also address intrapersonal, community, organisational, and policy-related challenges. The findings of this study inform the Facing Dementia Together primary care practice change intervention to improve early dementia diagnosis and management in primary care.
Key findings
- Four themes described current primary care practitioner practices in dementia diagnosis and management (1) Family concern triggers dementia investigation (2) GPs delay conversations about dementia (3) Completing routine cognitive assessments in the 75+ health assessment, and (4) Variability in post-diagnostic care.
- Barriers to identifying, diagnosing, and managing dementia were organised according to the levels of the socioecological framework: ‘There is not much we can do’ (individual), ‘A difficult conversation’ (Interpersonal), ‘Hierarchy affects team communication’ (Organisational), ‘It’s hard to get services’ (Community) and ‘If it’s not financially viable, it won’t be done’ (Policy).
- Enhancing care for people living with dementia and their carers requires multifaceted interventions that not only strengthen the capability and motivation of primary care practitioners, but also address intrapersonal, community, organisational, and policy-related challenges.
- The findings of this study inform the Facing Dementia Together primary care practice change intervention to improve early dementia diagnosis and management in primary care.
Why it matters
This qualitative interview study identified current practices and barriers in Australian primary care for diagnosing and managing dementia, including delayed conversations and variability in post-diagnostic care. The findings inform a practice change intervention to improve early diagnosis and management, not to treat or cure dementia.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 39/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (BMC Family Practice) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | BMC Family Practice: journal h-index 128 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.5 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 14.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Mark William Yates: h-index 12 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The University of Sydney: institution h-index 1,466 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41862848) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 39 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1186/s12875-026-03275-9
- PubMed: 41862848
- Original source →
- Free full text: BMC Family Practice →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Low, L., Gibson, C. E., Barcenilla‐Wong, A., Daniel, S., Phillipson, L., Gresham, M. D., et al. (2026). How does Australian primary care face dementia? Identifying current practice and barriers in dementia diagnosis and management in Australian primary care – a qualitative interview study. BMC Family Practice. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-026-03275-9
Vancouver
Low L, Gibson CE, Barcenilla‐Wong A, Daniel S, Phillipson L, Gresham MD, et al. How does Australian primary care face dementia? Identifying current practice and barriers in dementia diagnosis and management in Australian primary care – a qualitative interview study. BMC Family Practice. 2026. doi:10.1186/s12875-026-03275-9. PMID: 41862848.
BibTeX
@article{low2026-41862848,
author = {Low, Lee‐Fay and Gibson, Caroline E. and Barcenilla‐Wong, Annica and Daniel, Sharon and Phillipson, Lyn and Gresham, Meredith D and Laver, Kate and Tan, Edwin and others},
title = {{How does Australian primary care face dementia? Identifying current practice and barriers in dementia diagnosis and management in Australian primary care – a qualitative interview study}},
journal = {BMC Family Practice},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1186/s12875-026-03275-9},
pmid = {41862848},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-026-03275-9}
}
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