Screening for Dementia in Primary Care to Improve Early Detection

A study on dementia screening by Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine sought to gauge the advantages and drawbacks of testing older adults for cognitive impairment at the primary care level, reports Being Patient . The researchers considered dementia screenings in rural, suburban, and urban primary care clinics throughout Indiana. The main conclusion was that primary care dementia screening did not elevate anxiety or depression among the people studied — and there was no apparent harm in screening for Alzheimer's and other types of dementia. "Dementia screening provides awareness for the subject and their family, allowing them to take action — including advance care planning," said IU's Nicole Fowler. However, screening did not necessarily improve the rate of people following up for diagnosis or care, as 70 percent of participants declined follow-up assessments. There was a decrease in hospitalizations among those who did follow up, versus people who were not screened and later had cognitive impairment. "For a number of reasons, including the lack of drugs to treat dementia and the stigma around the condition, people are hesitant to engage in the next steps of the process after screening," Fowler noted. "The healthcare system needs to help bridge this gap and encourage people to follow up on the results of screening tests as they would for any other condition."