Abstract
BackgroundThe early and timely recognition of dementia syndrome is a policy imperative in many countries. In the UK the achievement of earlier and timelier recognition has been pursued through educational interventions, incentivisation of general practitioners and the promotion of a network of memory clinics.ObjectiveThe effectiveness of education, incentivisation and memory clinic activity are unknown. This article analyses data from different sources to evaluate the impact of these interventions on the incidence and prevalence of dementia, and the diagnostic performance of memory clinics.Material and methodsThree data sources were used: 1) aggregated, anonymised data from a network of general practices using the same electronic medical record software, The Health Information Network (THIN), 2) UK Health & Social Care Information Centre data reports and 3) Responses to Freedom of Information Act requests.ResultsEducational interventions did not appear to change the recorded incidence of dementia syndrome. There was no apparent effect of education, incentives or memory clinic activity on the reported incidence of dementia syndrome between 1997 and 2011 but there were signs of change in the documentation of consultations with people with dementia. There was no clear impact of incentivisation and memory clinic activity in prevalence data. Memory clinics are seeing more patients but fewer are being diagnosed with dementia.ConclusionIt is not clear why there has been no upturn in documented incidence or prevalence of dementia syndrome despite substantial efforts and this requires further investigation to guide policy changes. The performance of memory clinics also needs further study.
Highlights
Delays in the recognition of dementia syndrome are a common problem across the world, prompting Alzheimer’s Disease International to call in 2011 for earlier diagnosis and intervention [1]
There does appear to be an increase in incident rate after the implementation of the dementia strategy in 2009, which promoted the growth of memory clinics; this was an artefact; 2 of the 476 general practices used ‘dementia monitoring’ codes designed to reflect follow-up consultations with people with dementia to document screening individuals for dementia, with the result that 1000 patients received dementia codes without having the diagnosis
There was no apparent effect of education, incentives or memory clinic activity on the reported incidence of dementia syndrome between 1997 and 2011 but there were signs of change in the documentation of consultations with people with dementia
Summary
Delays in the recognition of dementia syndrome are a common problem across the world, prompting Alzheimer’s Disease International to call in 2011 for earlier diagnosis and intervention [1]. In the UK the achievement of earlier and timelier recognition has been pursued through educational interventions, incentivisation of general practitioners and the promotion of a network of memory clinics. This article analyses data from different sources to evaluate the impact of these interventions on the incidence and prevalence of dementia, and the diagnostic performance of memory clinics. There was no apparent effect of education, incentives or memory clinic activity on the reported incidence of dementia syndrome between 1997 and 2011 but there were signs of change in the documentation of consultations with people with dementia. It is not clear why there has been no upturn in documented incidence or prevalence of dementia syndrome despite substantial efforts and this requires further investigation to guide policy changes.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
