Neurological and psychiatric practitioners' views on Alzheimer's disease and treatment thereof.
BACKGROUND
General views of practitioners shape medical routine. This study surveyed general views of neurological and psychiatric practitioners in Germany on Alzheimer's disease (AD).


METHODS
850 surveys were distributed and 637 (75%) recovered.


RESULTS
36% of practitioners reported not having used therapies for medical conditions other than dementia in patients with AD for reasons of limited compliance in these patients. Efficacy of antidementia drugs (donepezil, galantamine, memantine, rivastigmine) was rated on a 5-point scale (very good, good, satisfactory, sufficient, insufficient) regarding memory, attention and concentration, aggression, depression, activities of daily living, and dependency on caregivers. 87% of practitioners reported an at least satisfactory effect on at least 2 domains. Practitioners estimated that about 20% of caregivers are treated for psychiatric disorders such as depression. Practitioners that were more aware of caregivers' needs for psychiatric treatment more frequently reported positive feedback of caregivers concerning improvement of the patients in everyday life. Nursing home admission was estimated to result from both progression of dementia and diminished forces of the caregivers.


CONCLUSIONS
Neurological and psychiatric practitioners perceive antidementia drugs as effective in multiple domains in AD. Appreciation of the overall success of treatment requires consideration of the patient-caregiver dyad.
Riepe
M W
MW
Department of Psychiatry II, Division of Mental Health and Old Age Psychiatry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
Ibach
B
B
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003625:Data Collection; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D009462:Neurology; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*