Providing feedback is a key aspect of simulated participants' (SPs) educational work. In teaching contexts, the ability to provide feedback to learners is central to their role. Suboptimal feedback practices may deny learners the valuable feedback they need to learn and improve. This scoping review systematically maps the evidence related to SPs' role as educators and identifies how SPs prepare for their role and feedback practices. The authors conducted a scoping review and included a group of international stakeholders with experience and expertise in SP methodology. Five online databases were systematically searched and ERIC, MedEdPortal and MedEdPublish were hand searched to identify relevant studies. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were developed. Data screening and subsequently data charting were performed in pairs. The results of data charting were thematically analysed including categories relating to the Association of SP Educators (ASPE) Standards of Best Practice (SOBP). From 8179 articles identified for the title and abstract screening, 98 studies were included. Studies reported the benefit of SPs' authentic role portrayal and feedback interactions for learners and on the reported learning outcomes. Data was heterogeneous with a notable lack of consistency in the detail regarding the scenario formats for communication skills training interventions, SP characteristics, and approaches to training for feedback and role portrayal. The published literature has considerable heterogeneity in reporting how SPs are prepared for role portrayal and feedback interactions. Additionally, our work has identified gaps in the implementation of the ASPE SOBP, which promotes effective SP-learner feedback interactions. Further research is required to identify effective applications of SP methodology to prepare SPs for their role as educators.

First responders, such as paramedics and firefighters, encounter duty-related traumatic exposures, which can lead to post-traumatic stress (PTS). Although social support protects against PTS, we know little about how first responders’ families, spouses/partners, friends, and care-partners (i.e., ‘trusted others’) provide social support. This narrative review explores support behaviors, coping strategies, and resources trusted others use to support first responders. A structured literature search yielded 24 articles. We used House’s (1981) conceptual framework to inform our analysis. We identified three main themes: providing support, finding support, and support needs. Additionally, we describe trusted others’ self-reported preparedness, coping strategies, and barriers to providing social support. We found that trusted others provided different types of support: (a) emotional (fostering a safe space, giving autonomy over recovery, facilitating coping mechanisms, prioritizing first responders’ emotional needs); (b) instrumental (prioritizing first responders’ practical needs, handling household tasks, supporting recovery); (c) appraisal (active monitoring, verbal reassurance, positive reframing), and (d) informational (seeking informal learning). In their role, trusted others sought formal (organizational) and informal (peer and personal) support and resources, alongside intrapersonal and interpersonal coping strategies. Identified barriers include inadequate communication skills, maladaptive coping, and disempowering beliefs. Thus, we offer practical, treatment, and social support recommendations.

Background: Primary care services play a key role in dementia care, yet activity may vary between subtypes. Objective: To investigate longitudinal determinants of primary care contact across Alzheimer’s disease (ad), vascular dementia (VD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) 5 years pre-and-post-diagnosis, encompassing clinical, cognitive, functional, and sociodemographic factors. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Data on 4384 individuals with first dementia diagnoses (2008–2023) were obtained from a South London catchment linking dementia services with primary care records. Linear mixed-effects models were run on 3-month interval counts (up to 40 intervals per individual, 20 pre-and-post-diagnosis). Separate pre-and-post-diagnosis models assessed longitudinal trends, adjusted for age, sex, and antidepressant use, with subgroup analyses by dementia subtype and cognitive status. Result: Service utilisation increased over time, with VD showing a steeper pre-diagnosis rise and PDD moderate post-diagnosis increases compared to ad. Across both periods, worse cognitive impairment and antipsychotic receipt were associated with lower contacts, while older age and Black/British Black ethnicity were associated with higher contact. Pre-diagnosis, agitation, depressed mood, relationship and living conditions problems were linked to lower contact, whereas hallucinations were associated with higher use. Post-diagnosis, hypnotic/anxiolytic use predicted lower contact, while acetylcholinesterase inhibitor receipt, comorbidities, daily living difficulties, and mixed ethnicity were associated with increased utilisation. Conclusion: Person-centred care pathways should anticipate subtype-specific and individual patterns, providing targeted support for those with reduced pre-diagnosis contact who may have unmet needs, while considering early intervention for groups anticipated to require increased service use after diagnosis.

Introduction: The global rise in dementia presents significant challenges for healthcare systems. While Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dominates dementia care, people with non-Alzheimer’s dementias (non-AD), such as dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), vascular dementia (VD), and Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD), often have distinct and unmet healthcare needs. Aim: This systematic review aimed to summarise evidence on healthcare utilisation (HCU) patterns and factors affecting care among people living with non-AD dementias. Methods: Following a PROSPERO-registered protocol (CRD42024568391), comprehensive searches of Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, Global Health, PsycINFO, and PubMed were conducted in February and June 2024. Peer-reviewed English-language studies reporting on HCU or its determinants in DLB, FTD, VD, or PDD were included. Reviews, case reports, grey literature, and studies without subtype-specific data were excluded. Quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results: Thirty-one studies (16 cohort; 10 cross-sectional, 4 case-description, and 1 chart review) were included. HCU varied by dementia subtype and was influenced by sociodemographic, cognitive, and clinical factors. Compared with AD, non-AD dementias had higher healthcare use and costs. PDD showed the highest inpatient, outpatient, and skilled nursing care use, driven by severe cognitive decline. DLB was linked to unplanned hospital admissions and frequent ambulance use, often due to falls and pneumonia. FTD resulted in extended hospital stays related to behavioural symptoms, while VD incurred high costs due to chronic comorbidities and long-term care needs. Conclusion: People with non-AD dementias have greater and distinct healthcare needs. Future research should develop standardised measures and tailored interventions to address their complex socioeconomic and clinical requirements.

Dementia, a syndrome that progressively impairs cognitive functions, is a growing global health challenge. Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, faces a growing dementia burden compounded by stigma and inequities in prevention, diagnosis, and care. This scoping review aims to synthesise dementia research in Indonesia, identify gaps, and propose directions for future research. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a comprehensive search across eight databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Global Health, Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, and GARUDA) were conducted to identify studies in English and Indonesian. 105 studies were included, with most (93.3%) studies published after 2016, aligning with Indonesia’s National Dementia Plan and the WHO Global Action Plan on Dementia. Studies were predominantly cross-sectional (73.3%) and concentrated in urban areas. When mapped against the WHO Global Action Plan on Dementia (2017–2025), studies clustered around seven key themes. Key risk factors examined included older age, low education, female sex, low socioeconomic status, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and physical inactivity. Work on diagnosis, treatment, and care has expanded, particularly through validation of cognitive screening tools (e.g., MoCA-INA, BCSB-INA) and emerging use of neuroimaging and biomarkers, though implementation remains limited by cost and workforce capacity. Intervention studies are typically small-scale, short-term, and lack longitudinal evaluation. Findings consistently showed high psychosocial and financial burden, especially among female family carers, with unmet needs for training and emotional support. Finally, policy and systems-level research highlighted limited integration of dementia into primary healthcare, inadequate data infrastructure, and minimal progress in translating the 2016 National Dementia Plan into sustainable support systems. Dementia research in Indonesia has expanded, yet geographical and methodological gaps persist. Future priorities should include nationally representative studies, implementation research, and multisectoral collaborations to advance the WHO’s vision of dementia as a public health priority and strengthen preparedness for its ageing population.