Diagnosing dementia: a comparison between a monodisciplinary and a multidisciplinary approach

Frans R.J. Verhey*, Jellemer Jolles, Rudolf W.H.M. Ponds, Nico Rozendaal, Leo A. Plugge, H.C.W. De Vet, Fred Vreeling, P.J.M. van der Lugt

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    Discrepancies were examined in diagnostic outcome between a monodisciplinary approach and a multidisciplinary, criteria-based approach in patients referred to a university memory clinic. Of 278 patients not fulfilling dementia criteria, 19 had been previously diagnosed as demented (specificity: 0.93). In 60 of 152 demented patients, dementia had not been diagnosed before (sensitivity: 0.61). Underreporting was frequent for mildly demented patients and for patients with coexisting depressive symptoms. In patients referred by psychiatrists, sensitivity rates for dementia and Alzheimer's disease were low; in patients referred by neurologists, depression often went unreported. Results underscore the need for more frequent use of integrated multidisciplinary services for cognitively disturbed patients.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)78-85
    Number of pages8
    JournalJournal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
    Volume5
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 1993

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