What outcome measures are most useful in measuring the effectiveness of anti-dementia medication in people with intellectual disabilities and dementia?

What outcome measures are most useful in measuring the effectiveness of anti-dementia medication in people with intellectual disabilities and dementia? Marjan Ghazirad, Olivia Hewitt, Sarah Walden Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print, pp.- The use of anti-dementia medication in people with intellectual disabilities has been controversial and requires additional research to assess the efficacy of such medications. An essential part of this treatment (both in terms of research and clinical practice) is having robust outcome measures to assess the efficacy of these medications for individuals. Currently there is no consensus in the UK regarding which outcome measures, in conjunction with clinical judgement, are effective in informing clinicians’ decision-making regarding anti-dementia medication management and this paper aims to present useful outcome measures. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify relevant outcome measures. Outcome measures focused on aspects of patients’ presentation such as cognition, activities of daily living, neuropsychiatric presentation or the impact of their presentation (either on themselves, or on others). These outcome measures were critically appraised to ascertain their suitability in informing clinician’s decisions regarding management of anti-dementia medication. The focus of this appraisal was on good quality measures that are...
Source: Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities - Category: Disability Authors: Source Type: research