Practices and perspectives of primary care physicians in Japan and the United States about diagnosing dementia: a qualitative study

Table 2 Coding scheme of perspectives of primary care physicians on diagnosing dementia (2017)

Main Codes	Sub-codes
Timing of diagnosis
Confidence in diagnosis	High confidence
Confidence in diagnosis	Low confidence
Diagnostic process	Annual exams
	MD observations/knowledge
	Patient self-reports symptoms
	Family reports symptoms
	Clinical staffs/neighbors report symptoms *
	Understanding the patient’s life history/living environment *
	Taking clinical history from family/patient †
	Seeing only advanced cases
	Diagnostic ambiguity
	Assessments & tests
	Collective decision-making with family *
Confirming diagnosis through specialist	For better diagnostic tools
	For specialist resources
	Because diagnosis is unclear
	For acceptance of family/patient
	To plan treatment/help with treatment
	Lack of access to specialists
	Lack of access to neurocognitive testing
	Because it’s too hard for primary care physician to handle
Benefits of diagnosis	Safety
	Planning for the future
	Long-term insurance
	Access to care resources
	Knowing/acceptance of diagnosis by patient/family
	Acceptance/stigma in the community
	Treatment planning

ISSN: 1471-2318