Practitioners’ knowledge, acceptability and use of external memory aids with individuals with cognitive deficits: An exploratory study

Summary & key facts

This study asked 120 health practitioners who work with people with memory and thinking problems about their knowledge and use of external memory aids — tools that help people remember things. The researchers used a questionnaire and found that most practitioners knew little about these aids and used them even less. Practitioners thought their patients would accept the aids, but that positive view did not lead to wide use. The paper says these useful tools are still not reaching many patients and that we need more research to find out why.

Key facts:

• Researchers surveyed 120 health practitioners who work with people who have cognitive (thinking and memory) problems.
• The study used a written questionnaire to measure how much practitioners knew about external memory aids and how often they used them.
• Overall knowledge about external memory aids was low among the practitioners surveyed.
• Practitioners reported knowing more about these memory aids than they actually used them in practice.
• Practitioners believed that patients would accept these memory aids, but this belief did not match how often practitioners used the aids with patients.
• The authors conclude that, despite research showing these aids can help memory, actual use in clinical settings remains limited and more research is needed to find barriers to their use.

Abstract

External memory aids (EMA) are within the most effective cognitive rehabilitation techniques, having demonstrated a positive impact in terms of memory functioning in individuals with multiple cognitive deficits. Despite its proven efficacy, there is yet poor dissemination of these techniques in clinical settings. The current study aims to evaluate the level of knowledge, degree of use, and usage expectations of EMAs by health practitioners, responsible to implement these techniques. A quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was developed, and 120 practitioners working with cognitively impaired patients participated in the study. One questionnaire was developed to assess participants' knowledge and use of EMAs. Results indicate that the level of global knowledge regarding EMAs is poor, despite superior to its actual use. The degree of perceived acceptance of these prosthetics by their users is positive and stronger than the likelihood of practitioners to use these tools with their patients. This study suggests that the actual implementation of EMAs as rehabilitation tools is still poor, despite the growing evidence-based research highlighting its effectiveness to compensate for cognitive deficits. Future studies should target the current factors that are influencing the underutilization of EMAs, to improve and optimize its dissemination and to benefit cognitively impaired patients.

Topics

Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility Cognitive Functions and Memory Educational and Psychological Assessments

Categories

Experimental and Cognitive Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Anthropology Clinical psychology Cognition Cognitive impairment Cognitive psychology Developmental psychology Exploratory research Psychiatry Psychology Sociology