Assessment of dementia by a primary health care dementia team cooperating with the family doctor - the Norwegian model

Abstract

Background: To describe how dementia assessment could be organized in primary health care and how it works.

Methods: The project had two phases. In phase one 104 elderly patients were assessed by a local authority dementia team that used a standardized examination protocol, which enabled the family doctors to establish a dementia diagnosis. After evaluation and adjustments the model was extended to 31 local authorities and 474 patients were assessed.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 84.4 (SD 5.6) and 81.8 (SD 7.8) years, respectively; 81 and 67% were women, respectively. The mean Mini Mental State Examination scores were 21.1 (SD 5.0) and 19.2 (SD 5.1), respectively. All patients in phase one and 70% in phase two were diagnosed with dementia. In 15 local authorities a specially assigned family doctor assisted in establishing diagnoses. In these local authorities 80% of the patients were diagnosed.

Conclusion: A local authority dementia team can collect the information required to enable a family doctor to establish a dementia diagnosis. Ideally, such teams should be assisted by a family doctor interested in dementia diagnostics.