Harmonisation of assessments in Australian Memory Clinics: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundSince the late 1980’s, Memory Clinics have been an integral part of Australia’s dementia assessment and care services. Despite their continuous growth over the past 30 years, little benchmarking data is available and no best practice standards have been established. The Australian Dementia Network‐Memory Clinics initiative (ADNeT‐MC) is committed to initiate change and facilitate the harmonisation of assessment process and national collaboration. The main objective is to provide a state‐of‐the‐art diagnostic assessment to all individuals with cognitive disorders.MethodA survey of Australian Memory Clinics was conducted to evaluate the current situation and determine the most commonly used clinical test instruments. Further a Delphi process to develop national Memory Clinic guidelines will be completed in 2021. Informed by the survey results and national and international dementia care and assessment guidelines, a set of best practice recommendations are being developed. A group of national experts, including researchers, clinicians, patients and careers, rates and assesses each recommendation to arrive at consensual final guidelines.ResultThe ADNeT‐MC national Memory Clinics survey showed a vast heterogeneity in clinical (e.g., assessment protocols used) and structural aspects (e.g., staffing, funding). We identified more than 100 different cognitive assessment instruments currently in use, but with agreement on the screening tool (MMSE) and subset of neuropsychological tests (see Table 1). Geriatricians were the most commonly involved specialists. Few clinics reported allied health professionals or social workers, which likely affects post‐diagnostic care delivery. Indeed, the provision of post‐diagnostic care is often limited to short‐term support, whereas more extensive support (e.g., cognitive intervention) is often not funded. First results of the Delphi process as well as recommendations for a consensus assessment protocol will be presented at this session.ConclusionADNeT‐MC will outline one possible pathway to achieve national harmonisation across Memory Clinics. The development of standards that can be met by all Australian Memory Clinics, independent of their location and funding constraints, has the potential to enhance the quality of diagnostic assessments of all neurocognitive disorders and make post‐diagnostic care an integral part of the service delivery.