Improving patient care through a national memory clinic network

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundMemory clinics and their practising professionals may hide a treasure of clinical experience and knowledge. In addition, neuroscientists are seeking a way to bring their scientific results swiftly to clinical practice.ObjectiveTo optimize patient care in Dutch memory clinics (>100) by stimulating and facilitating its members to learn together, innovate and share knowledge and experience.MethodsIn November 2016 the Dutch Memory clinic Network (Nederlands Geheugenpoli Netwerk, NGN) was initiated after consulting the four national academic Alzheimer clinics (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Maastricht, Nijmegen) and the Dutch Alzheimer Association (Alzheimer Nederland). The primary goal ‐ sharing knowledge – is achieved by: 1) Maintaining the NGN Website with information on educational opportunities, ongoing clinical research, guidelines, list of associated memory clinics, etc., 2) Sending out newsletters (4 times a year), 3) Organizing yearly conferences on various topics relevant to memory clinic professionals and researchers, 4) Facilitating professionals to discuss complex patients via the Siilo groups app (a protected messenger, to be used only by care professionals, checked through a national registration number: BIG).ResultsOf >100 memory clinics 77 listed themselves at the website (Fig 1). In the last nine months the website generated >4000 pageviews. Topics that are most frequently visited on the website are educational podcasts on trending topics in the field of dementia presented by clinicians several times a year. The newsletter topics vary: ‘ current research projects’, reports of recent relevant conferences, agenda of relevant conferences for memory clinics. Currently we have 430 subscribers for the newsletter. For the conference the number of attendants has increased over the past four years from 90 in 2016 till 220 in 2019. The Siilo groups app started November 2019, and currently counts 30 participants, increasing every month. Complex patients are discussed as well as news on memory clinics in the media.ConclusionWith the growing number of page views, newsletter‐subscribers, attendants at the conference and members of the Siilo groups app, the NGN serves the dense network of memory clinic professionals in the Netherlands, with the ultimate goal to improve patient care for cognitively impaired patients.