Diagnosis of dementia in Australia: a narrative review of services and models of care.

Conclusion Memory clinics are most effective for formal dementia diagnosis, but healthcare professionals in other settings play vital roles in recognising patients with dementia and initiating investigations and referrals to appropriate services.What is known about this topic? Delays in dementia diagnosis are common, and it is unclear where majority of patients receive a diagnosis of dementia in Australia. While the Australian Clinical Practice Guidelines and Principles of Care for People with Dementia advocate referrals to services such as memory clinics for comprehensive assessment and diagnosis of dementia, such services may have limited capacity and may not be readily accessible to all.What does this paper add? This paper presents an overview of the various settings and services available for dementia diagnosis in Australia including evidence of the roles, accessibility, effectiveness and limitations of each setting.What are the implications for practitioners? This concerns a disease that is highly prevalent and escalating, and highlights the roles for practitioners in various settings including general practices, acute hospitals, specialist clinics, community and nursing homes. In particular, it discusses the potential roles, advantages and challenges of dementia diagnosis in each setting.
PMID: 30049298 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Australian Health Review - July 27, 2018 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Ng NSQ, Ward SA Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research