Diagnosing dementia: a comparison between a monodisciplinary and a multidisciplinary approach.
Discrepancies were examined in diagnostic outcome between a monodisciplinary approach and a multidisciplinary, criteria-based approach in patients referred to a university memory clinic. Of 278 patients not fulfilling dementia criteria, 19 had been previously diagnosed as demented (specificity: 0.93). In 60 of 152 demented patients, dementia had not been diagnosed before (sensitivity: 0.61). Underreporting was frequent for mildly demented patients and for patients with coexisting depressive symptoms. In patients referred by psychiatrists, sensitivity rates for dementia and Alzheimer's disease were low; in patients referred by neurologists, depression often went unreported. Results underscore the need for more frequent use of integrated multidisciplinary services for cognitively disturbed patients.
Verhey
F R
FR
Department of Neuropsychology/Psychobiology, University of Limburg, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Jolles
J
J
Ponds
R W
RW
Rozendaal
N
N
Plugge
L A
LA
de Vet
R C
RC
Vreeling
F W
FW
van der Lugt
P J
PJ
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003704:Dementia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales