Perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI for dementia diagnosis in Uganda
Diagnosing dementia remains challenging in low-income settings due to limited diagnostic options and the absence of definitive biomarkers. The use of brain MRI in the diagnosis of dementia is infrequent in Uganda, and even when it is used, subtle findings like mild regional atrophy are often overloo...
Gespeichert in:
| Veröffentlicht in: | PloS one 2025-01, Vol.20 (1), p.e0305788 |
|---|---|
| Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Artikel |
| Sprache: | eng |
| Schlagworte: | |
| Online-Zugang: | Volltext |
| Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
| container_end_page | |
|---|---|
| container_issue | 1 |
| container_start_page | e0305788 |
| container_title | PloS one |
| container_volume | 20 |
| creator | Nassanga, Rita Nakasujja, Noeline Kaddumukasa, Mark Jones, Stephen E Sajatovic, Martha Kawooya, Michael Grace |
| description | Diagnosing dementia remains challenging in low-income settings due to limited diagnostic options and the absence of definitive biomarkers. The use of brain MRI in the diagnosis of dementia is infrequent in Uganda, and even when it is used, subtle findings like mild regional atrophy are often overlooked, despite being crucial for imaging diagnosis.
The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI as a diagnostic approach for dementia in Uganda.
This was an exploratory qualitative study involving radiologists, technologists, senior house officers and psychiatrists. The participants were 25 in total. Data was collected through key informant interviews and focus group discussions and analyzed thematically using an inductive approach.
The study revealed three key themes: Brain MRI Practices for Diagnosing Dementia, Facilitators of Appropriate MRI Use, and Barriers to Appropriate Use of Brain MRI. Sub-themes under these themes included cost considerations, poor and good MRI practices, MRI as a standard operating procedure, positive attitudes towards brain MRI, and barriers such as structural, financial, operational, technical, and patient-related issues. Participants acknowledged the high accuracy and superiority of brain MRI for diagnosing dementia and recognized it as the standard of care. However, its use in Uganda is limited due to high costs, restricted access, mechanical failures, patient claustrophobia, myths and misconceptions, and interpretation difficulties by radiologists and inappropriate protocols by technologists.
The study identifies barriers to effective brain MRI use for dementia diagnosis in Uganda, including limited training, high costs, and uneven equipment distribution. Despite this, providers are positive about MRI adoption. Enhancing training, awareness, and phased rollouts can improve outcomes. Future research should focus on similar low-resource settings for validation. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.1371/journal.pone.0305788 |
| format | Article |
| fullrecord | <record><control><sourceid>gale_plos_</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_plos_journals_3156772709</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><galeid>A823938935</galeid><doaj_id>oai_doaj_org_article_e851a38ff7d34c66a5eb314dbac7423e</doaj_id><sourcerecordid>A823938935</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-LOGICAL-c3825-74fa0d6089a1b70d394ea21673d2a3fd07a65b774dd165b992b066fd52c85c313</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNqNkk1v1DAQhiMEoqXwDxBEQkJw2MWOE9s5VhUfKxUVFcrVmtiTrFdZO7UTiR7473i7adVFHDh5ZD8z43nnzbKXlCwpE_TDxk_BQb8cvMMlYaQSUj7KjmnNigUvCHv8ID7KnsW4IaRikvOn2RGrZcHKUhxnv79h0DiM1ruYgzP5EECPVmPMfZvbLXTWdfmAIXrnsN8j65totYWUEbCDYHbIuMZ8irjLagJYl3-9XOWtD7nBLbrRQm4sdM5HG_P0etWlSvA8e9JCH_HFfJ5kV58-_jj7sji_-Lw6Oz1faCaLaiHKFojhRNZAG0EMq0uEgnLBTAGsNUQArxohSmNoCuq6aAjnrakKLSvNKDvJXu_rDr2PalYuKkYrLkQhSJ2I1Z4wHjZqCGnycKM8WHV74UOnICRdelQoKwpMtq0wrNScQ4UNo6VpQIuyYJhqvZu7BX89YRzV1kaNfQ8O_bRvKwmVtEjom7_Qf39upjpI_a1r_Zi2tCuqTtMiayZrViXq_QGlvRvx19jBFKNafb_8f_bi5yH79gG7RujHdfT9dOuZQ7Dcgzr4GAO29zpSonaevRtO7TyrZs-mtFezBlOzRXOfdGdS9gdJoOYs</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Open Website</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype><pqid>3156772709</pqid></control><display><type>article</type><title>Perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI for dementia diagnosis in Uganda</title><source>MEDLINE</source><source>DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals</source><source>Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek - Frei zugängliche E-Journals</source><source>PubMed Central</source><source>Free Full-Text Journals in Chemistry</source><source>Public Library of Science (PLoS)</source><creator>Nassanga, Rita ; Nakasujja, Noeline ; Kaddumukasa, Mark ; Jones, Stephen E ; Sajatovic, Martha ; Kawooya, Michael Grace</creator><creatorcontrib>Nassanga, Rita ; Nakasujja, Noeline ; Kaddumukasa, Mark ; Jones, Stephen E ; Sajatovic, Martha ; Kawooya, Michael Grace</creatorcontrib><description>Diagnosing dementia remains challenging in low-income settings due to limited diagnostic options and the absence of definitive biomarkers. The use of brain MRI in the diagnosis of dementia is infrequent in Uganda, and even when it is used, subtle findings like mild regional atrophy are often overlooked, despite being crucial for imaging diagnosis.
The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI as a diagnostic approach for dementia in Uganda.
This was an exploratory qualitative study involving radiologists, technologists, senior house officers and psychiatrists. The participants were 25 in total. Data was collected through key informant interviews and focus group discussions and analyzed thematically using an inductive approach.
The study revealed three key themes: Brain MRI Practices for Diagnosing Dementia, Facilitators of Appropriate MRI Use, and Barriers to Appropriate Use of Brain MRI. Sub-themes under these themes included cost considerations, poor and good MRI practices, MRI as a standard operating procedure, positive attitudes towards brain MRI, and barriers such as structural, financial, operational, technical, and patient-related issues. Participants acknowledged the high accuracy and superiority of brain MRI for diagnosing dementia and recognized it as the standard of care. However, its use in Uganda is limited due to high costs, restricted access, mechanical failures, patient claustrophobia, myths and misconceptions, and interpretation difficulties by radiologists and inappropriate protocols by technologists.
The study identifies barriers to effective brain MRI use for dementia diagnosis in Uganda, including limited training, high costs, and uneven equipment distribution. Despite this, providers are positive about MRI adoption. Enhancing training, awareness, and phased rollouts can improve outcomes. Future research should focus on similar low-resource settings for validation.</description><identifier>ISSN: 1932-6203</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1932-6203</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305788</identifier><identifier>PMID: 39823447</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>United States: Public Library of Science</publisher><subject>Adult ; Alzheimer's disease ; Atrophy ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Beliefs, opinions and attitudes ; Biomarkers ; Biomedical technicians ; Brain ; Brain - diagnostic imaging ; Brain - pathology ; Brain research ; Codes ; Data collection ; Dementia ; Dementia - diagnosis ; Dementia - diagnostic imaging ; Dementia disorders ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic systems ; Female ; Focus groups ; Health facilities ; Humans ; Interviews ; Life expectancy ; Magnetic resonance imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods ; Male ; Medical diagnosis ; Medical examination ; Medical imaging ; Middle Aged ; Neuroimaging ; Personnel ; Physicians ; Physicians - psychology ; Psychiatrists ; Psychiatry ; Qualitative analysis ; Qualitative research ; Technologists ; Training ; Uganda</subject><ispartof>PloS one, 2025-01, Vol.20 (1), p.e0305788</ispartof><rights>Copyright: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.</rights><rights>COPYRIGHT 2025 Public Library of Science</rights><rights>This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.</rights><rights>This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><oa>free_for_read</oa><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-c3825-74fa0d6089a1b70d394ea21673d2a3fd07a65b774dd165b992b066fd52c85c313</cites><orcidid>0000-0001-7699-2155</orcidid></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><linktopdf>$$Uhttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0305788&type=printable$$EPDF$$P50$$Gplos$$Hfree_for_read</linktopdf><linktohtml>$$Uhttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0305788$$EHTML$$P50$$Gplos$$Hfree_for_read</linktohtml><link.rule.ids>314,776,780,860,2096,2915,23845,27901,27902,79569,79570</link.rule.ids><backlink>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39823447$$D View this record in MEDLINE/PubMed$$Hfree_for_read</backlink></links><search><creatorcontrib>Nassanga, Rita</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Nakasujja, Noeline</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kaddumukasa, Mark</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Jones, Stephen E</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Sajatovic, Martha</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kawooya, Michael Grace</creatorcontrib><title>Perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI for dementia diagnosis in Uganda</title><title>PloS one</title><addtitle>PLoS One</addtitle><description>Diagnosing dementia remains challenging in low-income settings due to limited diagnostic options and the absence of definitive biomarkers. The use of brain MRI in the diagnosis of dementia is infrequent in Uganda, and even when it is used, subtle findings like mild regional atrophy are often overlooked, despite being crucial for imaging diagnosis.
The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI as a diagnostic approach for dementia in Uganda.
This was an exploratory qualitative study involving radiologists, technologists, senior house officers and psychiatrists. The participants were 25 in total. Data was collected through key informant interviews and focus group discussions and analyzed thematically using an inductive approach.
The study revealed three key themes: Brain MRI Practices for Diagnosing Dementia, Facilitators of Appropriate MRI Use, and Barriers to Appropriate Use of Brain MRI. Sub-themes under these themes included cost considerations, poor and good MRI practices, MRI as a standard operating procedure, positive attitudes towards brain MRI, and barriers such as structural, financial, operational, technical, and patient-related issues. Participants acknowledged the high accuracy and superiority of brain MRI for diagnosing dementia and recognized it as the standard of care. However, its use in Uganda is limited due to high costs, restricted access, mechanical failures, patient claustrophobia, myths and misconceptions, and interpretation difficulties by radiologists and inappropriate protocols by technologists.
The study identifies barriers to effective brain MRI use for dementia diagnosis in Uganda, including limited training, high costs, and uneven equipment distribution. Despite this, providers are positive about MRI adoption. Enhancing training, awareness, and phased rollouts can improve outcomes. Future research should focus on similar low-resource settings for validation.</description><subject>Adult</subject><subject>Alzheimer's disease</subject><subject>Atrophy</subject><subject>Attitude of Health Personnel</subject><subject>Beliefs, opinions and attitudes</subject><subject>Biomarkers</subject><subject>Biomedical technicians</subject><subject>Brain</subject><subject>Brain - diagnostic imaging</subject><subject>Brain - pathology</subject><subject>Brain research</subject><subject>Codes</subject><subject>Data collection</subject><subject>Dementia</subject><subject>Dementia - diagnosis</subject><subject>Dementia - diagnostic imaging</subject><subject>Dementia disorders</subject><subject>Diagnosis</subject><subject>Diagnostic systems</subject><subject>Female</subject><subject>Focus groups</subject><subject>Health facilities</subject><subject>Humans</subject><subject>Interviews</subject><subject>Life expectancy</subject><subject>Magnetic resonance imaging</subject><subject>Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods</subject><subject>Male</subject><subject>Medical diagnosis</subject><subject>Medical examination</subject><subject>Medical imaging</subject><subject>Middle Aged</subject><subject>Neuroimaging</subject><subject>Personnel</subject><subject>Physicians</subject><subject>Physicians - psychology</subject><subject>Psychiatrists</subject><subject>Psychiatry</subject><subject>Qualitative analysis</subject><subject>Qualitative research</subject><subject>Technologists</subject><subject>Training</subject><subject>Uganda</subject><issn>1932-6203</issn><issn>1932-6203</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2025</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><sourceid>EIF</sourceid><sourceid>BENPR</sourceid><sourceid>DOA</sourceid><recordid>eNqNkk1v1DAQhiMEoqXwDxBEQkJw2MWOE9s5VhUfKxUVFcrVmtiTrFdZO7UTiR7473i7adVFHDh5ZD8z43nnzbKXlCwpE_TDxk_BQb8cvMMlYaQSUj7KjmnNigUvCHv8ID7KnsW4IaRikvOn2RGrZcHKUhxnv79h0DiM1ruYgzP5EECPVmPMfZvbLXTWdfmAIXrnsN8j65totYWUEbCDYHbIuMZ8irjLagJYl3-9XOWtD7nBLbrRQm4sdM5HG_P0etWlSvA8e9JCH_HFfJ5kV58-_jj7sji_-Lw6Oz1faCaLaiHKFojhRNZAG0EMq0uEgnLBTAGsNUQArxohSmNoCuq6aAjnrakKLSvNKDvJXu_rDr2PalYuKkYrLkQhSJ2I1Z4wHjZqCGnycKM8WHV74UOnICRdelQoKwpMtq0wrNScQ4UNo6VpQIuyYJhqvZu7BX89YRzV1kaNfQ8O_bRvKwmVtEjom7_Qf39upjpI_a1r_Zi2tCuqTtMiayZrViXq_QGlvRvx19jBFKNafb_8f_bi5yH79gG7RujHdfT9dOuZQ7Dcgzr4GAO29zpSonaevRtO7TyrZs-mtFezBlOzRXOfdGdS9gdJoOYs</recordid><startdate>20250117</startdate><enddate>20250117</enddate><creator>Nassanga, Rita</creator><creator>Nakasujja, Noeline</creator><creator>Kaddumukasa, Mark</creator><creator>Jones, Stephen E</creator><creator>Sajatovic, Martha</creator><creator>Kawooya, Michael Grace</creator><general>Public Library of Science</general><general>Public Library of Science (PLoS)</general><scope>CGR</scope><scope>CUY</scope><scope>CVF</scope><scope>ECM</scope><scope>EIF</scope><scope>NPM</scope><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope><scope>IOV</scope><scope>ISR</scope><scope>3V.</scope><scope>7QG</scope><scope>7QL</scope><scope>7QO</scope><scope>7RV</scope><scope>7SN</scope><scope>7SS</scope><scope>7T5</scope><scope>7TG</scope><scope>7TM</scope><scope>7U9</scope><scope>7X2</scope><scope>7X7</scope><scope>7XB</scope><scope>88E</scope><scope>8AO</scope><scope>8C1</scope><scope>8FD</scope><scope>8FE</scope><scope>8FG</scope><scope>8FH</scope><scope>8FI</scope><scope>8FJ</scope><scope>8FK</scope><scope>ABJCF</scope><scope>ABUWG</scope><scope>AEUYN</scope><scope>AFKRA</scope><scope>ARAPS</scope><scope>ATCPS</scope><scope>AZQEC</scope><scope>BBNVY</scope><scope>BENPR</scope><scope>BGLVJ</scope><scope>BHPHI</scope><scope>C1K</scope><scope>CCPQU</scope><scope>COVID</scope><scope>D1I</scope><scope>DWQXO</scope><scope>FR3</scope><scope>FYUFA</scope><scope>GHDGH</scope><scope>GNUQQ</scope><scope>H94</scope><scope>HCIFZ</scope><scope>K9.</scope><scope>KB.</scope><scope>KB0</scope><scope>KL.</scope><scope>L6V</scope><scope>LK8</scope><scope>M0K</scope><scope>M0S</scope><scope>M1P</scope><scope>M7N</scope><scope>M7P</scope><scope>M7S</scope><scope>NAPCQ</scope><scope>P5Z</scope><scope>P62</scope><scope>P64</scope><scope>PATMY</scope><scope>PDBOC</scope><scope>PIMPY</scope><scope>PQEST</scope><scope>PQQKQ</scope><scope>PQUKI</scope><scope>PRINS</scope><scope>PTHSS</scope><scope>PYCSY</scope><scope>RC3</scope><scope>7X8</scope><scope>DOA</scope><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7699-2155</orcidid></search><sort><creationdate>20250117</creationdate><title>Perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI for dementia diagnosis in Uganda</title><author>Nassanga, Rita ; Nakasujja, Noeline ; Kaddumukasa, Mark ; Jones, Stephen E ; Sajatovic, Martha ; Kawooya, Michael Grace</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c3825-74fa0d6089a1b70d394ea21673d2a3fd07a65b774dd165b992b066fd52c85c313</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2025</creationdate><topic>Adult</topic><topic>Alzheimer's disease</topic><topic>Atrophy</topic><topic>Attitude of Health Personnel</topic><topic>Beliefs, opinions and attitudes</topic><topic>Biomarkers</topic><topic>Biomedical technicians</topic><topic>Brain</topic><topic>Brain - diagnostic imaging</topic><topic>Brain - pathology</topic><topic>Brain research</topic><topic>Codes</topic><topic>Data collection</topic><topic>Dementia</topic><topic>Dementia - diagnosis</topic><topic>Dementia - diagnostic imaging</topic><topic>Dementia disorders</topic><topic>Diagnosis</topic><topic>Diagnostic systems</topic><topic>Female</topic><topic>Focus groups</topic><topic>Health facilities</topic><topic>Humans</topic><topic>Interviews</topic><topic>Life expectancy</topic><topic>Magnetic resonance imaging</topic><topic>Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods</topic><topic>Male</topic><topic>Medical diagnosis</topic><topic>Medical examination</topic><topic>Medical imaging</topic><topic>Middle Aged</topic><topic>Neuroimaging</topic><topic>Personnel</topic><topic>Physicians</topic><topic>Physicians - psychology</topic><topic>Psychiatrists</topic><topic>Psychiatry</topic><topic>Qualitative analysis</topic><topic>Qualitative research</topic><topic>Technologists</topic><topic>Training</topic><topic>Uganda</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Nassanga, Rita</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Nakasujja, Noeline</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kaddumukasa, Mark</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Jones, Stephen E</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Sajatovic, Martha</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kawooya, Michael Grace</creatorcontrib><collection>Medline</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE (Ovid)</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>PubMed</collection><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints</collection><collection>Gale In Context: Science</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Corporate)</collection><collection>Animal Behavior Abstracts</collection><collection>Bacteriology Abstracts (Microbiology B)</collection><collection>Biotechnology Research Abstracts</collection><collection>Nursing & Allied Health Database</collection><collection>Ecology Abstracts</collection><collection>Entomology Abstracts (Full archive)</collection><collection>Immunology Abstracts</collection><collection>Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts</collection><collection>Nucleic Acids Abstracts</collection><collection>Virology and AIDS Abstracts</collection><collection>Agricultural Science Collection</collection><collection>Health & Medical Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>Medical Database (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Pharma Collection</collection><collection>Public Health Database</collection><collection>Technology Research Database</collection><collection>ProQuest SciTech Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Technology Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Natural Science Collection</collection><collection>Hospital Premium Collection</collection><collection>Hospital Premium Collection (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni) (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>Materials Science & Engineering Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest One Sustainability</collection><collection>ProQuest Central UK/Ireland</collection><collection>Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection</collection><collection>Agricultural & Environmental Science Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Essentials</collection><collection>Biological Science Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central</collection><collection>Technology Collection</collection><collection>Natural Science Collection</collection><collection>Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management</collection><collection>ProQuest One Community College</collection><collection>Coronavirus Research Database</collection><collection>ProQuest Materials Science Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Korea</collection><collection>Engineering Research Database</collection><collection>Health Research Premium Collection</collection><collection>Health Research Premium Collection (Alumni)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Student</collection><collection>AIDS and Cancer Research Abstracts</collection><collection>SciTech Premium Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Health & Medical Complete (Alumni)</collection><collection>Materials Science Database</collection><collection>Nursing & Allied Health Database (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts - Academic</collection><collection>ProQuest Engineering Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Biological Science Collection</collection><collection>Agricultural Science Database</collection><collection>Health & Medical Collection (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>Medical Database</collection><collection>Algology Mycology and Protozoology Abstracts (Microbiology C)</collection><collection>Biological Science Database</collection><collection>Engineering Database</collection><collection>Nursing & Allied Health Premium</collection><collection>Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Database</collection><collection>ProQuest Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection</collection><collection>Biotechnology and BioEngineering Abstracts</collection><collection>Environmental Science Database</collection><collection>Materials Science Collection</collection><collection>Publicly Available Content Database</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic Eastern Edition (DO NOT USE)</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic UKI Edition</collection><collection>ProQuest Central China</collection><collection>Engineering Collection</collection><collection>Environmental Science Collection</collection><collection>Genetics Abstracts</collection><collection>MEDLINE - Academic</collection><collection>DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals</collection><jtitle>PloS one</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Nassanga, Rita</au><au>Nakasujja, Noeline</au><au>Kaddumukasa, Mark</au><au>Jones, Stephen E</au><au>Sajatovic, Martha</au><au>Kawooya, Michael Grace</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI for dementia diagnosis in Uganda</atitle><jtitle>PloS one</jtitle><addtitle>PLoS One</addtitle><date>2025-01-17</date><risdate>2025</risdate><volume>20</volume><issue>1</issue><spage>e0305788</spage><pages>e0305788-</pages><issn>1932-6203</issn><eissn>1932-6203</eissn><abstract>Diagnosing dementia remains challenging in low-income settings due to limited diagnostic options and the absence of definitive biomarkers. The use of brain MRI in the diagnosis of dementia is infrequent in Uganda, and even when it is used, subtle findings like mild regional atrophy are often overlooked, despite being crucial for imaging diagnosis.
The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI as a diagnostic approach for dementia in Uganda.
This was an exploratory qualitative study involving radiologists, technologists, senior house officers and psychiatrists. The participants were 25 in total. Data was collected through key informant interviews and focus group discussions and analyzed thematically using an inductive approach.
The study revealed three key themes: Brain MRI Practices for Diagnosing Dementia, Facilitators of Appropriate MRI Use, and Barriers to Appropriate Use of Brain MRI. Sub-themes under these themes included cost considerations, poor and good MRI practices, MRI as a standard operating procedure, positive attitudes towards brain MRI, and barriers such as structural, financial, operational, technical, and patient-related issues. Participants acknowledged the high accuracy and superiority of brain MRI for diagnosing dementia and recognized it as the standard of care. However, its use in Uganda is limited due to high costs, restricted access, mechanical failures, patient claustrophobia, myths and misconceptions, and interpretation difficulties by radiologists and inappropriate protocols by technologists.
The study identifies barriers to effective brain MRI use for dementia diagnosis in Uganda, including limited training, high costs, and uneven equipment distribution. Despite this, providers are positive about MRI adoption. Enhancing training, awareness, and phased rollouts can improve outcomes. Future research should focus on similar low-resource settings for validation.</abstract><cop>United States</cop><pub>Public Library of Science</pub><pmid>39823447</pmid><doi>10.1371/journal.pone.0305788</doi><tpages>e0305788</tpages><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7699-2155</orcidid><oa>free_for_read</oa></addata></record> |
| fulltext | fulltext |
| identifier | ISSN: 1932-6203 |
| ispartof | PloS one, 2025-01, Vol.20 (1), p.e0305788 |
| issn | 1932-6203 1932-6203 |
| language | eng |
| recordid | cdi_plos_journals_3156772709 |
| source | MEDLINE; DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals; Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek - Frei zugängliche E-Journals; PubMed Central; Free Full-Text Journals in Chemistry; Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| subjects | Adult Alzheimer's disease Atrophy Attitude of Health Personnel Beliefs, opinions and attitudes Biomarkers Biomedical technicians Brain Brain - diagnostic imaging Brain - pathology Brain research Codes Data collection Dementia Dementia - diagnosis Dementia - diagnostic imaging Dementia disorders Diagnosis Diagnostic systems Female Focus groups Health facilities Humans Interviews Life expectancy Magnetic resonance imaging Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods Male Medical diagnosis Medical examination Medical imaging Middle Aged Neuroimaging Personnel Physicians Physicians - psychology Psychiatrists Psychiatry Qualitative analysis Qualitative research Technologists Training Uganda |
| title | Perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI for dementia diagnosis in Uganda |
| url | https://sfx.bib-bvb.de/sfx_tum?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2025-02-16T03%3A30%3A18IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-gale_plos_&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Perceptions%20and%20practices%20of%20imaging%20personnel%20and%20physicians%20regarding%20the%20use%20of%20brain%20MRI%20for%20dementia%20diagnosis%20in%20Uganda&rft.jtitle=PloS%20one&rft.au=Nassanga,%20Rita&rft.date=2025-01-17&rft.volume=20&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=e0305788&rft.pages=e0305788-&rft.issn=1932-6203&rft.eissn=1932-6203&rft_id=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0305788&rft_dat=%3Cgale_plos_%3EA823938935%3C/gale_plos_%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&disable_directlink=true&sfx.directlink=off&sfx.report_link=0&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_pqid=3156772709&rft_id=info:pmid/39823447&rft_galeid=A823938935&rft_doaj_id=oai_doaj_org_article_e851a38ff7d34c66a5eb314dbac7423e&rfr_iscdi=true |