title: What should we know about dementia in the 21st century? A Delphi consensus study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Escalating numbers of people are experiencing dementia in many countries. With increasing consumer needs, there is anticipated growth in the numbers of people providing diagnostic evaluations, treatments, and care. Ensuring a consistent and contemporary understanding of dementia across all of these groups has become a critical issue. This study aimed to reach consensus among dementia experts from English speaking countries regarding essential and contemporary knowledge about dementia.
  
  
  METHODS
  An online Delphi study was conducted to examine expert opinion concerning dementia knowledge with three rounds of data collection. A sample of dementia experts was selected by a panel of Australian experts, including a geriatrician and three professors of aged care. Purposive selection was initially undertaken with the sample expanded through snowballing. Dementia experts (N = 19) included geriatricians, psychologists, psychiatrists, neuroscientists, dementia advocates, and nurse academics from the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. In the first round, these participants provided open-ended responses to questions determining what comprised essential knowledge about dementia. In the second round, responses were summarised into 66 discrete statements that participants rated on the basis of importance. In the third round, a rank-ordered list of the 66 statements and a group median were provided and participants rated the statements again. The degree of consensus regarding importance ratings was determined by assessing median, interquartile range, and proportion of experts scoring above predetermined thresholds. Correlation scores were calculated for each statement after the final round to identify changes in statement scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Delphi experts identified 36 statements about dementia that they considered essential to understanding the condition. Statements about care for a person experiencing dementia and their care giver represented the largest response category. Other statements, for which full or very high consensus was reached, related to dementia characteristics, symptoms and progression, diagnosis and assessment, and treatment and prevention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results summarise knowledge of dementia that is considered essential across expert representatives of key stakeholder groups from three countries. This information has implications for the delivery of care to people with the condition and the development of dementia education programs.
authors: Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Medical Sciences 1, 17 Liverpool St, Hobart, 7000, Australia. Michael.annear@utas.edu.au.
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Annear
authors: School of Nursing & Midwifery, Curtin University, Western Australia, GPO BOX U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia. C.Toye@curtin.edu.au.
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Toye
authors: Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Medical Sciences 1, 17 Liverpool St, Hobart, 7000, Australia. Fran.McInerney@utas.edu.au.
authors: Frances
authors: F
authors: McInerney
authors: Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Medical Sciences 1, 17 Liverpool St, Hobart, 7000, Australia. Claire.Eccleston@utas.edu.au.
authors: Claire
authors: C
authors: Eccleston
authors: School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 22, Hobart, 7001, Australia. Bruce.Tranter@utas.edu.au.
authors: Bruce
authors: B
authors: Tranter
authors: Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Medical Sciences 1, 17 Liverpool St, Hobart, 7000, Australia. KateEllen.Elliott@utas.edu.au.
authors: Kate-Ellen
authors: KE
authors: Elliott
authors: Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Medical Sciences 1, 17 Liverpool St, Hobart, 7000, Australia. Andrew.Robinson@utas.edu.au.|School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Medical Sciences 1, 17 Liverpool St, Hobart, 7000, Australia. Andrew.Robinson@utas.edu.au.
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Robinson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D002983:Clinical Competence; D032882:Comprehension; D032921:Consensus; D003697:Delphi Technique; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States
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