Measuring improvement in patients with dementia

Abstract

Summary The evaluation of data compiled on nine patients whose behaviors and activities were monitored while on a regimen of lecithin and physostigmine indicated a modest improvement in performance of ADL. Further analysis of the data revealed continued improvement in eight patients from baseline to the end of the poststudy period. During the clinical evaluation, individual physical changes and variations in response to socioenvironmental factors on three patients (C, D, and G) influenced the results in a nonsupportive direction. The “Nursing Evaluation” proved to be a quick, reliable indicator of the patient's total functioning ability.