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Rural Caregivers: Identification of Informational Needs Through Telemedicine Questions
Author(s) -
Bardach Shoshana H.,
Gibson Allison,
Parsons Kelly,
Stauffer April,
Jicha Gregory A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.439
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1748-0361
pISSN - 0890-765X
DOI - 10.1111/jrh.12431
Subject(s) - telemedicine , dementia , session (web analytics) , rural area , scope (computer science) , presentation (obstetrics) , identification (biology) , medicine , medical education , gerontology , nursing , psychology , family medicine , health care , disease , business , economic growth , computer science , botany , biology , economics , pathology , advertising , radiology , programming language
Objectives The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and associated disorders is increasing. Rural residents in the United States have less access to memory care specialists and educational and community resources than in other areas of the country. Over a decade ago, we initiated an interdisciplinary rural caregiving telemedicine program to reach Kentucky residents in areas of the state where resources for supporting individuals with dementia are limited. Telemedicine programs involve a short informational presentation followed by a question and answer session; programs are offered 4 times a year. The purpose of this study was to explore questions asked over 1 year of the rural caregiving telemedicine program—encompassing 5 programs—to identify the scope of dementia‐related knowledge gaps among attendees. Methods Questions from the 5 programs were recorded and content analyzed to identify areas of frequent informational requests. Results There were a total of 69 questions over the 5 sessions. For each program, questions ended due to time constraints rather than exhausting all inquiries. The most common topical areas of questions related to risk factors, behavioral management, diagnosis, and medications. Discussion and Implications This study highlights that rural caregivers in Kentucky have diverse dementia educational needs. Rural communities may benefit from additional, targeted resources addressing these common areas of unmet informational needs.