Rates of formal diagnosis of dementia in primary care: The effect of screening

AbstractBackgroundScreening could improve recognition of dementia in primary care. We sought to determine the effect of screening for dementia in primary care practices on the formal diagnosis rate; the distribution of differential diagnoses; and the factors associated with receiving a formal diagnosis.MethodsThe “Dementia: life- and person-centered help in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania” is an ongoing general practitioner (GP)-based, randomized, controlled intervention trial. A total of 4064 community dwelling patients (aged ≥70 years) were screened for dementia in 108 GP practices. Of these patients, 692 (17%) had positive screening results (DemTect score