PFADE

Around 1.8 million people live with dementia in Germany, and the number is rising steadily. Unfortunately, the diagnosis is often made late, usually in specialist centres, although GPs are usually the first point of contact for those affected. In the "iCreate" project, medical assistants carried out around 300 tablet-based cognition tests as low-threshold diagnostics in ten GP surgeries. Patients with abnormal results were referred to a memory outpatient clinic for further diagnostics. However, around 15% of participants did not take up the offer of further diagnostics. The reasons for this have not yet been systematically researched. It is unclear why some people do not attend further specialist appointments after the initial examination, even though early diagnosis is important.

The aim of this project is therefore to identify factors that influence the decision as to whether or not patients make use of further dementia diagnostics. Various methods are used for this purpose: Interviews with patients and relatives, a focus group with a patient advisory board and a literature review to identify the most important influencing factors.

The findings should help to break down barriers and improve the utilisation of dementia diagnostics - so that those affected and their relatives receive the support they need at an early stage.