title: Pilot Evaluation of the Informant AD8 as a Case-Finding Instrument for Cognitive Impairment in General Practitioner Clinics of Singapore: A Brief Report.
abstract: Case-finding services using a composite total risk score (TRS) and the informant AD8 have been previously recommended to detect cognitive impairment (CI) in government subsidized primary health care centers of Singapore (ie, polyclinics).
  
  
  
  We compared the feasibility of implementing the services recommended for government-subsidized primary health care in private, primary health care service providers such as general practitioner (GP) clinics.
  
  
  
  123 patients ≥60 years of age were recruited from 2 GP clinics within Singapore. Trained research personnel administered the AD8 to informants. Patients of the present study were compared against a random sample of 123 patients selected from polyclinics.
  
  
  
  Significantly higher positive screening rates (AD8 ≥3) were found among patients in polyclinics than GP clinics (P < .001). Patients attending polyclinics reported more comorbid medical issues such as subjective cognitive complaint (P < .001) and heart disease (P < .001). The TRS of patients attending polyclinics was significantly higher than those attending GP clinics (P < .001), indicating a higher proportion of patients at risk of CI in polyclinics. Therefore, patients attending polyclinics were found to have higher AD8 scores compared with patients in GP clinics (P < .001).
  
  
  
  Compared with GP clinics, polyclinics may be more suited to provide case-finding services for the detection of CI in primary health care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Memory Aging and Cognition Centre, National University Health System, Singapore.
authors.forename: Esther Yee
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Shuang Wan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Memory Aging and Cognition Centre, National University Health System, Singapore.
authors.forename: Muhammad Amin
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Shaik
authors.affiliation: Ar-Raudah Medical Clinic, Singapore.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adhha
authors.affiliation: Kim Tian Clinic, Singapore.
authors.forename: Richard Mong
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hoo Ng
authors.affiliation: College of Healthcare Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: College of Healthcare Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.affiliation: Singapore Clinical Research Institute, Singapore.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Memory Aging and Cognition Centre, National University Health System, Singapore.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li-Hsian Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Memory Aging and Cognition Centre, National University Health System, Singapore; Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) and Dementia Collaborative Research Centre-Assessment and Better Care, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: yanhong_dong@nuhs.edu.sg.
authors.forename: YanHong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012846:Singapore
keywords: Case finding; cognitive screening; dementia; primary care