Exploring dementia management attitudes in primary care: a key informant survey to primary care physicians in 25 European countries

Background: Strategies for the involvement of primary care in the management of patients with presumed or diagnosed dementia are heterogeneous across Europe. We wanted to explore attitudes of primary care physicians (PCPs) when managing dementia: (i) the most popular cognitive tests, (ii) who had the right to initiate or continue cholinesterase inhibitor or memantine treatment, and (iii) the relationship between the permissiveness of these rules/guidelines and PCP's approach in the dementia investigations and assessment. Methods: Key informant survey. Setting: Primary care practices across 25 European countries. Subjects: Four hundred forty-five PCPs responded to a self-administered questionnaire. Two-step cluster analysis was performed using characteristics of the informants and the responses to the survey. Main outcome measures: Two by two contingency tables with odds ratios and 95 confidence intervals were used to assess the association between categorical variables. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to assess the association of multiple variables (age class, gender, and perceived prescription rules) with the PCPs' attitude of "trying to establish a diagnosis of dementia on their own". Results: Discrepancies between rules/guidelines and attitudes to dementia management was found in many countries. There was a strong association between the authorization to prescribe dementia drugs and pursuing dementia diagnostic work-up (odds ratio, 3.45; 95 CI 2.28-5.23). Conclusions: Differing regulations about who does what in dementia management seemed to affect PCP's engagement in dementia investigations and assessment. PCPs who were allowed to prescribe dementia drugs also claimed higher engagement in dementia work-up than PCPs who were not allowed to prescribe

Unburdening dementia a basic social process grounded theory – based on a primary care physician survey from 25 countries

OBJECTIVE: To explore dementia management from a primary care physician perspective.DESIGN: One-page seven-item multiple choice questionnaire; free text space for every item; final narrative question of a dementia case story. Inductive explorative grounded theory analysis. Derived results in cluster analyses. Appropriateness of dementia drugs assessed by tertiary care specialist.SETTING: Twenty-five European General Practice Research Network member countries.SUBJECTS: Four hundred and forty-five key informant primary care physician respondents of which 106 presented 155 case stories.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Processes and typologies of dementia management. Proportion of case stories with drug treatment and treatment according to guidelines.RESULTS: Unburdening dementia - a basic social process - explained physicians' dementia management according to a grounded theory analysis using both qualitative and quantitative data. Unburdening starts with Recognizing the dementia burden by Burden Identification and Burden Assessment followed by Burden Relief. Drugs to relieve the dementia burden were reported for 130 of 155 patients; acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or memantine treatment in 89 of 155 patients - 60% appropriate according to guidelines and 40% outside of guidelines. More Central and Northern primary care physicians were allowed to prescribe, and more were engaged in dementia management than Eastern and Mediterranean physicians according to cluster analyses. Physicians typically identified and assessed the dementia burden and then tried to relieve it, commonly by drug prescriptions, but also by community health and home help services, mentioned in more than half of the case stories.CONCLUSIONS: Primary care physician dementia management was explained by an Unburdening process with the goal to relieve the dementia burden, mainly by drugs often prescribed outside of guideline indications. Implications: Unique data about dementia management by European primary care physicians to inform appropriate stakeholders. Key points Dementia as a syndrome of cognitive and functional decline and behavioural and psychological symptoms causes a tremendous burden on patients, their families, and society. •We found that a basic social process of Unburdening dementia explained dementia management according to case stories and survey comments from primary care physicians in 25 countries. •First, Burden Recognition by Identification and Assessment and then Burden Relief - often by drugs. •Prescribing physicians repeatedly broadened guideline indications for dementia drugs. The more physicians were allowed to prescribe dementia drugs, the more they were responsible for the dementia work-up. Our study provides unique data about dementia management in European primary care for the benefit of national and international stakeholders

Use of primary care during the year before childhood cancer diagnosis: a nationwide population-based matched comparative study.

ObjectiveChildhood cancer is rare and symptoms tend to be unspecific and vague. Using the utilization of health care services as a proxy for symptoms, the present study seeks to determine when early symptoms of childhood cancer are seen in general practice.MethodsA population-based matched comparative study was conducted using nationwide registry data. As cases, all children in Denmark below 16 years of age (N = 1,278) diagnosed with cancer (Jan 2002-Dec 2008) were included. As controls, 10 children per case matched on gender and date of birth (N = 12,780) were randomly selected. The utilization of primary health care services (daytime contacts, out-of-hours contacts and diagnostic procedures) during the year preceding diagnosis/index date was measured for cases and controls.ResultsDuring the six months before diagnosis, children with cancer used primary care more than the control cohort. This excess use grew consistently and steadily towards the time of diagnosis with an IRR = 3.19 (95%CI: 2.99-3.39) (pConclusionsThe study shows that excess health care use, a proxy for symptoms of childhood cancer, occurs months before the diagnosis is established. Children with lymphoma, bone tumour or other solid tumours had higher consultation rates than the controls in the last five months before diagnosis, whereas children with CNS tumour had higher consultation rates in all twelve months before diagnosis. More knowledge about early symptoms and the diagnostic pathway for childhood cancer would be clinically relevant

Demografi og triage af børn med akutte mavesmerter

Formålet med dette studie var primært at beskrive populationen af børn med mavesmerter i de danske akutmodtagelser. Det sekundære formål var at undersøge, om det danske triagesystem viser en tendens til at kunne detektere, hvem der har potentielt livstruende sygdomme (PLS – appendicitis anvendt som indikator), eller omvendt udelukke, hvem der ikke har. Data for alle børn med ”mave- og flankesmerter” i skadestuen på Aarhus Universitetshospital (AUH) i 2017 er inkluderet i dette retroperspektive kohorte-studie. Børnene kategoriseres efter en række karakteristika (alder, køn mv.), og der er vist grafer over triagefordelingen for hver gruppe. 276 børn er inkluderet. Medianalderen var 12 år, med 46% drenge og 54% piger. De fleste havde stærke smerter (239 patienter; 87%) og 90 børn (33%) havde påvirkede vital-parametre. 148 børn (66%) fik en uspecifik diagnose, mens 94 børn (34%) fik en specifik. Appendicitis blev fundet i alle triagekategorier. Data viser en tendens til, at en lav triagescore ikke udelukker PLS (som appendicitis). Det kan sammenfattes, at børn med mavesmerter præsenterer sig meget forskelligt, og at vitalparametrene ved ankomst ikke altid afspejler alvorligheden af den tilstand, som barnet indlægges med. ENGLISH The main aim of this study was to describe characteristics of children presenting with abdominal pain in a Danish Emergency Department (ED). The secondary aim was to assess if the present triage system in the Danish EDs is indicative of children with potentially life-threatening diseases (PLTD – appendicitis used as indicator). Data of all children with “abdominal and flank pain” in the ED at Aarhus University Hospital (AUH) during 2017 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Patients were classified according to several characteristics (e.g. age, gender) and graphs of triage distribution were shown and compared. A total of 276 children were included. Median age was 12 years, with 46% boys and 54% girls. Most patients had severe pain (239 patients, 87%) and 90 patients (33%) had affected vital parameters. A total of 148 patients (66%) got an unspecific diagnosis at discharge, while 94 patients (34%) got a specific diagnosis. Appendicitis was found in all triage categories. Data show a tendency towards low triage not excluding PLTD (such as appendicitis). Also, data suggest that children with abdominal pain show a great variation in symptoms, and vital parameters at admission does not always reflect the severity of the child’s condition

The sampling of patients with incident and primary cancer.

<p>The sampling of patients with incident and primary cancer.</p

Primary Care Use before Cancer Diagnosis in Adolescents and Young Adults – A Nationwide Register Study

<div><p>Introduction</p><p>Survival rates of cancer patients have generally improved in recent years. However, children and older adults seem to have experienced more significant clinical benefits than adolescents and young adults (AYAs). Previous studies suggest a prolonged diagnostic pathway in AYAs, but little is known about their pre-diagnostic healthcare use. This study investigates the use of primary care among AYAs during the two years preceding a cancer diagnosis.</p><p>Methods</p><p>The study is a retrospective population-based matched cohort study using Danish nationwide registry data. All persons diagnosed with cancer during 2002–2011 in the age group 15–39 years were included (N = 12,306); each participant was matched on gender, age and general practice with 10 randomly selected references (N = 123,060). The use of primary healthcare services (face-to-face contacts, blood tests and psychometric tests) was measured during the two years preceding the diagnosis (index date), and collected data were analysed in a negative binomial regression model.</p><p>Results</p><p>The cases generally increased their use of primary care already from 8 months before a cancer diagnosis, whereas a similar trend was not found for controls. The increase was observed for all cancer types, but it started at different times: 17 months before a diagnosis of CNS tumour, 12 months before a diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma, 9 months before a diagnosis of lymphoma, 5–6 months before a diagnosis of leukaemia, bone tumour or GCT, and 3 months before a diagnosis of malignant melanoma.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>The use of primary care among AYAs increase several months before a cancer diagnosis. The diagnostic intervals are generally short for malignant melanomas and long for brain tumours. A prolonged diagnostic pathway may indicate non-specific or vague symptomatology and low awareness of cancer among AYAs primary-care personnel. The findings suggest potential of faster cancer diagnosis in AYAs.</p></div

Upper part: Mean rates for consultations and blood tests in primary care for cases and references two years before the diagnosis (index date).

<p>Note the difference in the Y-axis range. Lower part: incidence rate ratios (IRR) for consultations with 95% confidence intervals.</p

Percentages of children with four or more consultations in general practice during the three months before diagnosis and likelihood ratio of four or more consultations.

*<p>CI = confidence interval.</p

Incidence rate ratios (IRR) for consultations in primary care with 95% confidence intervals for carcinoma, lymphoma, germ cell tumour, central nervous system tumour, malignant melanoma, leukaemia bone tumour, soft tissue tumour and unspecified neoplasm two years before diagnosis (index date).

<p>Incidence rate ratios (IRR) for consultations in primary care with 95% confidence intervals for carcinoma, lymphoma, germ cell tumour, central nervous system tumour, malignant melanoma, leukaemia bone tumour, soft tissue tumour and unspecified neoplasm two years before diagnosis (index date).</p

Incidence rate ratios (IRR) for blood tests in primary care with 95% confidence intervals for haematological cancer (lymphoma and leukaemia), malignant melanoma and central nervous system tumour two years before diagnosis (index date).

<p>Incidence rate ratios (IRR) for blood tests in primary care with 95% confidence intervals for haematological cancer (lymphoma and leukaemia), malignant melanoma and central nervous system tumour two years before diagnosis (index date).</p