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

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.