Dementia ECHO: Evaluation of a telementoring programme to increase dementia knowledge and skills in First Nations-led health services

• Published in: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare
• Main Authors: Haydon, Helen M, Caffery, Liam J, Snoswell, Centaine L, Thomas, Emma E, Wright, Roderick, Doolan, Rachel, Garner, Lisa, Aitken, Phil, Smith, Anthony C
• Other Authors: Indigenous Australians Health Programme Emerging Priorities Grant – Department of Health, Commonwealth of Australia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications 2022
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1357633x221119610; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1357633X221119610; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/1357633X221119610

Introduction High rates of dementia among Australian First Nations’ peoples have resulted in an increased demand for dementia knowledge and skills among the primary health care professionals in these communities. The Dementia Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) program aims to be a culturally safe way of increasing local health workforce capacity by facilitating dementia knowledge, skills and confidence among primary care professionals in First Nations community settings. Dementia ECHO is based on the international evidence-based telementoring programme, Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes. Every Dementia ECHO session is delivered by videoconference and comprises a specialist-led presentation and a case discussion from a primary care health service participant. The aims of this study were to assess the uptake and reach of Dementia ECHO; examine the perceived importance of dementia care and dementia education among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Service staff; and evaluate the potential impact of Dementia ECHO on health service staff pertaining to dementia knowledge, confidence to provide dementia care and professional isolation. Method Dementia ECHO service activity data maintained by the programme providers was reviewed to determine uptake and reach. A pre-implementation survey examined Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Service staff perspectives on the importance of dementia education and the priority of a range of health issues. After each Dementia ECHO session, a brief online survey gathered quantitative and qualitative data regarding the potential impact of the session. Results Of 30 completed pre-implementation surveys, all staff rated dementia education as either very important or important. Salient themes highlighting why it is important are presented. When asked to rank six different health priorities, dementia ( n = 10) and chronic disease ( n = 10) were placed as the top priority. The brief post-session ...