title: Improving clinical descriptions to understand the effects of dementia treatment: consensus recommendations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To recommend how the description of clinically detectable treatment effects might be improved for antidementia drug trials.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consensus conference, with review of available evidence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We suggest widespread, systematic, qualitative studies, based on prospective observations such as the clinicians' narrative descriptions of patient's changes used in the Clinician's Interview-Based Impressions of Change (CIBIC-Plus), plus caregiver input. The identification of patient and caregiver expectations, and an understanding of how these expectations are met, are proposed as priorities for future study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Better descriptions of treatment effects can enhance our understanding of both clinical meaningfulness and cholinergic function in the brain.
authors.affiliation: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Kenneth.Rockwood@dal.ca
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rockwood
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Joffres
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors