The second Leicester survey of memory clinics in the British Isles.
BACKGROUND
The number of memory clinics in the British Isles has increased since our first survey in 1993.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this survey was to determine the memory clinics' characteristics and functions, and to compare these with the findings of our previous survey.


METHODS
An expanded version of the 1993 questionnaire was sent to 102 possible memory clinics, identified by various means. There were 72 replies, 58 of which were from currently active clinics.


RESULTS
There has been a substantial growth in the number of clinics since our previous survey in 1993, apparently stimulated by the licensing of cholinesterase inhibitor drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the development of services for early-onset dementia. Most of the new memory clinics have been set up within NHS old age psychiatry services, and they tend to be smaller and have less of an academic focus than the older clinics. However, they are similar in many aspects of their functioning, and have a similar range of practice with regard to patient assessment.


CONCLUSIONS
As memory clinics move out from academic centres into mainstream clinical services, there is potential for greater co-ordination of their activities, and the development of an agreed core data set for assessment that would be valuable in the national monitoring of new anti-dementia treatments in clinical practice.
Lindesay
James
J
Division of Psychiatry for the Elderly, Department of Psychiatry, University of Leicester, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, UK. jeb11@le.ac.uk
Marudkar
Mangesh
M
van Diepen
Erik
E
Wilcock
Gordon
G
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006782:Hospitals, Special / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006801:Humans; D009660:Northern Ireland; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006113:United Kingdom
D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors