Dementia education for Diagnostic Radiography students: Impact on confidence, knowledge, and attitudes towards dementia

Introduction

Diagnostic radiographers play a key role in the healthcare of people living with dementia, capturing and producing diagnostic images in a range of settings. Diagnostic radiographers often lack the confidence and skills to assess people with dementia appropriately, and people with dementia often report negative experiences within imaging departments. There is a lack of radiography-specific dementia education within pre-registration programmes in the UK so newly qualified radiographers enter the workforce unprepared. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a co-produced dementia education programme on student radiographers’ preparedness to care, knowledge, confidence and attitudes towards dementia.

Methods

A 3-hour co-produced dementia education was delivered and evaluated using a pre-test-post-test design. A single self-administered questionnaire, comprising validated instruments, was used to assess second-year radiography students' knowledge, confidence and attitudes towards dementia. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare scale scores before and after the education.

Results

Participants knowledge, confidence and preparedness to care for people with dementia significantly increased following the intervention. Attitudes were also more positive post-intervention. Participants reported that they found the education valuable.

Conclusions

Dementia education comprising of taught theory and simulation-based education, co-produced with experts by experience, effectively improves diagnostic radiography students’ knowledge, confidence and attitudes in caring for people living with dementia.

Implications for practice

Combined theory and practice-based dementia education should be included in undergraduate diagnostic radiography curriculums.