Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe patients assessed for cognitive decline in primary healthcare, compared to patients assessed in specialist healthcare and to examine factors associated with depression.

Design: This was an observational study.

Setting: Fourteen outpatient clinics and 33 general practitioners and municipality memory teams across Norway.

Subjects: A total of 226 patients assessed in primary healthcare and 1595 patients assessed in specialist healthcare outpatient clinics.

Main outcome measures: Cornell scale for depression in dementia (CSDD), Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Clock drawing test, Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Personal Self-Maintenance Scale, Relatives’ stress scale (RSS), and Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q)

Results: Patients assessed in primary healthcare were older (mean age 81.3 vs 73.0 years), less educated, had poorer cognition (MMSE median 22 vs 25), more limitations in activities of daily living (ADL), more behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), more depressive symptoms (CSDD median 7 vs 5), more often lived alone (60% vs 41%) and were more often diagnosed with dementia (86% vs 47%) compared to patients diagnosed in specialist healthcare. Depression was associated with female gender, older age, more severe decline in cognitive functioning (IQCODE, OR 1.65), higher caregiver burden (RSS, OR 1.10) and with being assessed in primary healthcare (OR 1.53).

Conclusion: Post-diagnostic support tailored to patients diagnosed with dementia in primary healthcare should consider their poor cognitive function and limitations in ADL and that these people often live alone, have BPSD and depression.

    Key points
  • People diagnosed in Norwegian primary healthcare had more needs than people diagnosed in specialist healthcare.

  •   • They were older, less educated, had poorer cognitive functioning and activity limitations, more often lived alone, and had more BPSD and depression.

  •   • Depression was associated with being female, older, having cognitive decline, being assessed in primary care and the caregiver experiencing burden

  •   • Post diagnostic support for people with dementia should be tailored to the individual’s symptoms and needs.

Details

Title
Characteristics of patients assessed for cognitive decline in primary healthcare, compared to patients assessed in specialist healthcare
Author
Michelet, Mona 1 ; Lund, Anne 2 ; Bjørn Heine Strand 3 ; Engedal, Knut 4 ; Selbaek, Geir 1 ; Bergh, Sverre 5 

 Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway;; Department of Geriatric Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway;; Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; 
 Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway; 
 Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway;; Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; 
 Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway;; Department of Geriatric Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 
 Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway;; Centre for Old Age Psychiatric Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Ottestad, Norway 
End page
116
Publication year
2020
Publication date
Jun 2020
Publisher
Taylor & Francis LLC
ISSN
02813432
e-ISSN
15027724
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2424464560
Copyright
© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.