title: Why attend a memory clinic? What do patients and their families want and/or expect?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore which symptoms led people to seek a memory clinic assessment and what they wanted and expected from that assessment. Did the patient and family want and/or expect diagnostic disclosure and, if so, why?
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients scheduled for memory clinic appoint-ments received two questionnaires by post prior to clinic attendance - one for the patient, one for the next-of- kin - regarding symptomatology, wants, expectations and rationale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-two per cent of patients (n = 47) and 88% (n = 43) of next-of-kin wanted the patient to be informed of the diagnosis; 84% (n = 43) of patients and 86% (n = 42) of next-of-kin expected the patient to be informed. Rationales for diagnostic disclosure were categorised under themes of planning, treatment, information, coping strategies and rights.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients and families want diagnostic disclosure in order to plan, receive treatment, receive help and learn strategies to cope. This knowledge is seen as the patient's right.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Group, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. maree.mastwyk@florey.edu.au.
authors.forename: Maree
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mastwyk
authors.affiliation: Preventive and Public Health, National Ageing Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Briony
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dow
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Kathryn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.affiliation: University of Melbourne, Department of Psychiatry, St. Georges Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ames
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D028701:Patient Rights; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D014739:Victoria
keywords: dementia; diagnosis; disclosure