Statement of the Problem
The problem to be addressed in this study is understanding the challenges doctors face in making an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in women. This challenge is relevant as evidence shows that sex differences exist in the etiology and disease course of Alzheimers (Waters & Laitner, 2021). Moreover, As Zhou and Zhu (2022) show, women are 1.5x more likely than men to have Alzheimers. Understanding the challenges that prevent doctors from making early diagnosis of this disease in women could help in improving predictive models for the disease (Romero-Rosales et al., 2020). Currently, women are at elevated risk of genetic predisposition for Alzheimers (Buckley et al., 2019). Yet, doctors continue to struggle to affirm best practices when it comes to making an early diagnosis of this disease in women (Dubois et al., 2021).
Furthermore, Mielke et al. (2022) have found that social and cultural factors may cause gender inequities in Alzheimers disease; these same factors may also influence physicians' perceptions and diagnoses when making an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in women (Ben-Joseph et al., 2019). For these reasons, there is a need to know what challenges physicians face with regard to this matterwhether they are social, cultural, communal, or practical (Fancourt et al., 2019).
Stakeholders primarily impacted by this issue are women and their physicians along with healthcare organizations where disease treatment may be given. What is not known that should be known is what challenges physicians face, from their own perspectives, when confronted with the challenge of making an early diagnosis of Alzheimers in women. The potential negative consequences if the problem is not addressed, aside from increased healthcare costs, are that women with Alzheimer's may have a lower quality of life due to late-stage diagnosis, whereas early detection could allow for better disease management.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the experiences and attitudes of physicians towards diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in women, with a focus on the social and cultural...
…focus on their experiences, perceptions, and challenges they encounter when diagnosing women. This will allow for the identification and understanding of constructs related to doctors' knowledge, biases in healthcare, training, and awareness, and the efficacy of diagnostic tools.The second stage involves the triangulation of data. Instead of relying on medical records, the study will seek to corroborate findings through focus group discussions among healthcare professionals and, if ethical considerations allow, conversations with families of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. These discussions provide an alternative perspective, and combined with the initial interviews, will strengthen the validity of the findings.
Lastly, the data will be analyzed using thematic analysis, identifying patterns and themes among the responses.
The target population of this study will be healthcare professionals working in the field of Alzheimer's disease. The aim is to obtain 30 participants, ensuring a diverse range of experiences and perspectives.
The research will be conducted in urban and suburban healthcare facilities in the northeast United States. The specific locations will remain confidential, and…
References
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