title: Decision support software for dementia diagnosis and management in primary care: relevance and potential.
abstract: Dementia, which affects a large and growing number of older people, presents particular challenges to primary care. There is an acknowledged need to develop interventions that address practitioners' needs for information and guidance regarding the diagnosis and management of dementia. This paper examines the potential usefulness and constraints of a Computer Decision Support System (CDSS) to assist practitioners in diagnosing and managing dementia. Questionnaire information was obtained from 97 primary care practitioners regarding their current practice and views on dementia care, priority given to training and familiarity with computer use. Implications of these findings for the relevance and value of CDSS are discussed. The paper is part of a larger ongoing study, the aim of which is the evaluation of three educational interventions for primary care practitioners.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social Research on Dementia, Department of Applied Social Science, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iliffe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Downs
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bryans
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilcock
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Austin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003201:Computers; D003657:Decision Making; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012984:Software; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data