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The National Dementia Workforce Study: Methods for Surveying Community Clinicians Who Provide Care to People With Dementia
Elizabeth M. White, James R. Wagner, Kate Stewart, Heidi Guyer, Sandi Nelson, Winston Chiong, Ulrike Muench, Alissa Bernstein Sideman et al.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2025-08-08
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
People with dementia have complex medical, functional, and social needs and experience highly variable care quality and outcomes across the U.S. health care system. Community-based physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants serve critical roles in diagnosing and managing dementia, yet little is known about this workforce and factors contributing to variability in care. The National Dementia Workforce Study (NDWS), sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, is conducting large nationally representative surveys of health care workers who provide care to people with dementia in nursing homes, assisted living communities, home care, and community medical practices. In this report, we summarize the methods for one of those surveys, the NDWS Community Clinician Survey, which surveys community-based physicians and advanced practice providers specializing in primary care, psychiatry, and neurology who provide clinical care to people with dementia. This survey captures comprehensive data on these clinicians, including demographics, training, and licensure; where and how they practice; their patient panels; processes of care for dementia diagnosis and management; and job factors influencing retention and turnover. These survey data can be linked with Medicare claims and other administrative data sources to allow for expansive research on this workforce and the care they provide. In turn, this will generate insights into modifiable factors that can be targeted to prepare, expand, and strengthen the clinical workforce to optimize care and meet demand for the growing population of people with dementia.
Key findings
- The National Dementia Workforce Study (NDWS), sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, is conducting large nationally representative surveys of health care workers who provide care to people with dementia in nursing homes, assisted living communities, home care, and community medical practices.
- In this report, we summarize the methods for one of those surveys, the NDWS Community Clinician Survey, which surveys community-based physicians and advanced practice providers specializing in primary care, psychiatry, and neurology who provide clinical care to people with dementia.
- This survey captures comprehensive data on these clinicians, including demographics, training, and licensure; where and how they practice; their patient panels; processes of care for dementia diagnosis and management; and job factors influencing retention and turnover.
- These survey data can be linked with Medicare claims and other administrative data sources to allow for expansive research on this workforce and the care they provide.
- In turn, this will generate insights into modifiable factors that can be targeted to prepare, expand, and strengthen the clinical workforce to optimize care and meet demand for the growing population of people with dementia.
Why it matters
This report describes the methods for a national survey of community clinicians who care for people with dementia, covering their training, practice, and job factors. It is a study plan rather than a treatment trial, so it does not show any effect on treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 44/100
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 (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 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 | 2 / 7 | Cited 6 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 6 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Donovan T. Maust: h-index 35 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Michigan: institution h-index 2,240 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 11 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40776848) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 44 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1111/jgs.70037
- PubMed: 40776848
- Original source →
- Free full text: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society →
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
White, E. M., Wagner, J. R., Stewart, K., Guyer, H., Nelson, S., Chiong, W., et al. (2025). The National Dementia Workforce Study: Methods for Surveying Community Clinicians Who Provide Care to People With Dementia. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.70037
Vancouver
White EM, Wagner JR, Stewart K, Guyer H, Nelson S, Chiong W, et al. The National Dementia Workforce Study: Methods for Surveying Community Clinicians Who Provide Care to People With Dementia. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2025. doi:10.1111/jgs.70037. PMID: 40776848.
BibTeX
@article{white2025-40776848,
author = {White, Elizabeth M. and Wagner, James R. and Stewart, Kate and Guyer, Heidi and Nelson, Sandi and Chiong, Winston and Muench, Ulrike and Sideman, Alissa Bernstein and others},
title = {{The National Dementia Workforce Study: Methods for Surveying Community Clinicians Who Provide Care to People With Dementia}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1111/jgs.70037},
pmid = {40776848},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.70037}
}
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