Challenges to Diagnosing Cognitive Decline / Alzheimers in Women

Problem Statement

The problem to be addressed in this study is Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a debilitating and progressive neurodegenerative disorder estimated to affect over 5 million women in the United States, yet recent research has shown that many cases go undiagnosed (Royse et al., 2021). Dubois et al. (2021) have shown, as well, that diagnosing AD remains a critical challenge for physicians. This leads to significant health inequalities for American women compared with men because of women’s increased risk for diagnosis due to their demographic factors such as age, gender, and ethnicity (de Lange, 2020; Majoka & Schimming, 2022; Peeters et al., 2022). Research has also suggested that American women with AD experience greater disability and require more assistance than their male counterparts, which further highlights the need for attention on this issue (Zuo & Heflin, 2023). Thus, there is a basis for seeking to better understand the challenges physicians face in diagnosing AD, particularly with women patients.

The consequences of not doing this research are that women will continue to remain at elevated risk for AD, and failing to conduct this research may result in poorer understanding of how physicians can best help women to address cognitive decline before it worsens. Exploring the challenges and obstacles physicians face in making an early diagnosis of AD for women will help in addressing this problem.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this qualitative study is to focus on the need to further investigate why many women with AD are not diagnosed. As this is an exploratory intention, a qualitative research design is suitable. The aim will be to conduct a descriptive qualitative study to examine physicians’ experiences diagnosing AD in women, with the goal being to better understand why women go undiagnosed.

The research questions that will be used to guide this study are:

1) How do physicians describe barriers to diagnosing AD in women?

2) What factors do physicians perceive limit their ability to identify symptoms of AD for women?

Secondary questions that may be used for interview purposes and that may also help to guide this research in terms of understanding the gender difference factors that might contribute to underdiagnosis in women will include the following:

1. What are physicians' experiences diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in women, and how do they differ from their experiences diagnosing men?

2. What are the factors that physicians consider when diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in women, and how do these factors differ from those considered when diagnosing men?

3. How do physicians describe the challenges and barriers they face when diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in women, and how do these challenges and barriers differ from those faced when diagnosing men?

4. What are the perceptions of physicians regarding the role of gender in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and how do these perceptions impact their diagnosis and treatment decisions?

5. How do physicians describe their experiences communicating a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease to women, and how do these experiences differ from their experiences communicating with men?

6. What strategies have physicians found to be effective in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in women, and how do these strategies differ from those used to diagnose men?

7. What are the implications of the findings for improving the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease in women?

These research questions focus on understanding the barriers and factors that physicians perceive to impact their ability to diagnose Alzheimer's disease in women. The questions are appropriate for a descriptive qualitative research study because they seek to explore and describe the experiences and perspectives of physicians regarding this issue.

By conducting this study, I will gather rich data that can help identify potential areas for improvement in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in women. The study can also help to identify factors that may contribute to underdiagnosis of the disease in women and inform strategies to address this issue.

Overall, the research questions are well-aligned with a descriptive qualitative research study as they seek to explore and describe the experiences and perspectives of physicians regarding the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in women. By conducting this study, it is believed it will provide valuable insights into this important healthcare issue and help to close the gap in our understanding of the factors that contribute to underdiagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in women.