Addressing Dementia Care Gaps in the Dominican Republic Through Online Primary Care Training

Carolina Bidó Bello, MD¹, Daisy Acosta, MD², Lea T. Grinberg, MD, PhD¹

¹Global Brain Health Institute, San Francisco, CA, USA
²Department of Internal Medicine, Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Urena (UNPHU), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

BACKGROUND
According to Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), 60% of people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), a figure projected to reach 71% by 2050.

The 10/66 study reports a dementia prevalence of approximately 12% in the Caribbean, among the highest in Latin America, where rates range.

Despite this burden, awareness among healthcare professionals remains low.

In the Dominican Republic, primary care physicians (PCP) are the first point of contact for individuals with cognitive complaints, yet they often lack adequate training in dementia diagnosis and management.

METHODS
>50 PCPs
Metropolitan area, Dominican Republic

Program structure
7 modules, 4 months
4 hours per week

Pre- and post-training assessment

Online platform
Track attendance
Quiz performance
Module completion

Pass final exam
Certificate of completion

Quantitative Measures
Pre- and post-training DKAS to measure knowledge improvement.
Quiz results per module to assess comprehension.
Attendance tracking and platform usage metrics.

Qualitative Measures
Participant satisfaction surveys at midpoint and end of the course.
Focus groups or interviews with a subset of participants and trainers.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES
≥80% PCP completion rate.
Significant improvement in Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS) scores.
Endorsement from local health authorities.
This training is expected to improve PCPs ability to diagnose dementia, facilitate early detection, enhance NPS management, and strengthen their understanding of treatment options. Additionally, it aims to improve navigation of referral pathways and caregiver support resources, fostering a more comprehensive approach to dementia care.

TIMELINE
Planning
Months 1–2

Stakeholder meetings
Platform setup
IRB approval
Content adaptation
Implementation
Months 3–6

Training launch
Participant enrollment
Video release
Evaluation
Months 7–8

Post-training surveys
DKAS testing
Focus groups
Reporting
Months 9–12

Final report
Dissemination
Proposal development for scale-up funding