Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-dwq4g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-27T17:24:25.241Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Screening for dementia in primary care - a viable proposition?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Aideen Freyne
Aideen Freyne*
Affiliation:
The Memory Clinic, St John of God Hospital, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Health policy documents recommend screening for cognitive impairment, although in practice this is not implemented. This article looks at the issues which require consideration in implementing a screening programme. These include factors pertinent to the disease under consideration, resources, both personnel and time, lack of experience of cognitive screening at a primary care level, use of screening instruments and uncertainty about management of positive cases. Only by identifying the practical difficulties involved in screening, can steps can be taken to overcome them and to implement screening programmes which are acceptable to the population under consideration and their primary care physicians.

Keywords

ScreeningScreening testsDementia
Type
Perspective
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , June 2001 , pp. 75 - 77
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2001

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. The Years Ahead: a policy for the elderly (Working party on services for the elderly) 1988.Google Scholar
2. The Years Ahead Report: A review of the implementation of its Recommendations, Ruddle et al 1997.Google Scholar
3. An Action Plan for Dementia; Report no. 54; National Council on Ageing and Older People, 1999.Google Scholar
4.Bush, C, Kozak, J, Elmslie, T. Screening for cognitive impairment in the elderly. Can Fam Physician 1997; 43: 1763–8.Google ScholarPubMed
5.Brodaty, H, Howarth, GC, Mant, A, Kurrle, SE. General practice and dementia: a national survey of Australian GPs. Med J Aust 1994; 153: 192–6.Google Scholar
6.Munro, J. What is the value of screening? Br J Hosp Med; 1996; 56: 382–4.Google ScholarPubMed
7.Wilson, J., Junger, G. The principles and practice of screening for disease. Public Health Papers 1968; 34: 26–39.Google Scholar
8.Royal of Psychiatrists. Interim statement on anti-dementia drugsimplications, concerns and policy proposals. Psychiatr Bull 1997; 21 : 586–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Lovestone, S, Graham, N, Howard, R. Guidelines on drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease. Lancet 1997; 350: 232–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Swanwick, G, Lawlor, B. Services for dementia sufferers and their carers. In: The Irish Health system in the 21st Century. Eds Leahy, A and Wiley, M; Oak Tree Press, 1998.Google Scholar
11.Brodaty, H, Clarke, J, Ganguli, Met al. Screening for cognitive impairment in general practice: toward a consensus. Alzheimer Dis Assoc 1998; 12: 1–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Jorm, AF, Jacombe, PA. The informant questionnaire on cognitive decline in the elderly (IQCODE), sociodemographic correlates, reliability, validity and some norms. Psychol Med 1989; 19: 1015–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Shulman, K. Clock drawing: is it the ideal cognitive screening test? Int J Ger Psychiat 2000; 15: 548–61.3.0.CO;2-U>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Flicker, L. Screening instruments for the detection of cognitive impairment. In: O'Brien, J, Ames, D, Burn, A, eds. Dementia. Arnold, 2000.Google Scholar
15.Graham, JEet al. Prevalence and severity of cognitive impairment with and without dementia in an elderly population. Lancet 1997; 349: 1793–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16.Folstein, M, Folstein, S, McHugh, PR. Mini-mental state: a practical guide for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res 1975; 12: 189–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17.Tombaugh, TN, McIntyre, NJ. The mini-mental state examination: a comprehensive review. JAGS 1992; 40: 922–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Teng, EL, Chui, HC. The modified mini-mental state (3MS) examination. J Clin Psychiat. 1987; 48: 314–8.Google ScholarPubMed
19.Loewenstein, DAet al. Utility of a modified mini-mental state examination with extended delayed recall in screening for mild cognitive impairment and dementia among community dwelling elders. Int J Ger Psychiat 2000; 15: 434–40.3.0.CO;2-2>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Solomon, PRet al. A seven minute neurocognitive screening battery highly sensitive to Alzheimer's disease. Arch Neurol 1998; 55; 349–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.Mackinnon, A, Mulligan, R. Combining cognitive testing and informant report to increase the accuracy in screening for dementia. Am J Psychiatry 1998; 155: 1529–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.Brook, P, Bullock, R. Validation of a 6 item cognitive impairment test with a view to primary care usage. Int J Ger Psychiat. 1999; 14: 936–40.3.0.CO;2-1>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23.Blessed, G, Tomlinson, BE, Roth, M. The association between quantitative measures of dementia and of senile changes in the cerebral grey matter of elderly subjects. Brit Psychiat 1968; 114: 797–811.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24.Illiffe, Set al. Assessment of elderly people in general practice: functional abilities and medical problems. Br J Gen Practice 1991; 41: 13–15.Google Scholar
25.Bowns, I, Challis, D, Tong, M. Case finding in elderly people: validation of a postal questionnaire. Br J Gen Practice 1991; 41 : 100–4.Google ScholarPubMed