Primary vs subspecialty care: a structured follow-up of dementia patients and their caregivers.
All dementia patients and their caregivers who had received a University-based comprehensive evaluation and a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease during 1997 (N = 80) were surveyed 1 year after their initial assessment. Of the original cohort, 72.5% were contacted, and two subgroups were defined: 31 patients were being seen only by their primary care physicians (MED), and 27 patients were being treated in addition by a geriatric psychiatry faculty member (GERO). There were statistically significant differences between the two groups (MED vs. GERO, respectively) at follow-up in terms of: 1) hospitalization (39% vs. 15%; P<O.05); 2) cognitive status (P<O.05); and 3) prescription of donepezil at follow-up (35% vs. 64%; P<O. 005). These differences need to be assessed in a larger-scale prospective study.
Aupperle
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PM
Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and University Behavioral Healthcare, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway 08855-1392, USA.
Coyne
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AC
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D000077265:Donepezil; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry; D006801:Humans; D007189:Indans / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010880:Piperidines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011320:Primary Health Care; D013038:Specialization; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D007189:Indans; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D010880:Piperidines; D000077265:Donepezil