97 Attending a memory clinic for assessment and diagnosis of dementia: a qualitative systematic review

Abstract Background Memory clinics have gained recognition for assessment, diagnosis and treatment of a range of memory and cognitive conditions and are often the single point of access for people with suspected dementia. Few studies have focused on the experiences of those who attend a memory clini...

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Veröffentlicht in:Age and ageing 2023-09, Vol.52 (Supplement_3)
Hauptverfasser: Lafferty, R, Daly, L
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Abstract Background Memory clinics have gained recognition for assessment, diagnosis and treatment of a range of memory and cognitive conditions and are often the single point of access for people with suspected dementia. Few studies have focused on the experiences of those who attend a memory clinic for assessment and who receive a dementia diagnosis. The aim of the systematic review reported herein was to explore the experiences of attending a memory clinic from the perspectives of those who receive a dementia diagnosis. Methods A meta-synthesis systematic review was undertaken using six databases including CINAHL Complete, Medline, EMBASE, PsychINFO, ASSIA and Web of Science. An extensive grey literature search was also undertaken. The search yielded 10,490 studies, and following screening by two reviewers, those studies that met the inclusion criteria were then quality assessed using the Brunton et al. (2011) Quality Assessment Criteria and Scoring Tool. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the included studies. Results Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. The resultant meta-synthesis of the evidence identified three analytical themes: (1) ‘Assessment and diagnosis: an emotional journey’ demonstrated that attending a memory clinic can involve a broad range of emotions; (2) ‘Assessment: a relational experience’ highlighted the significance of the nature and quality of the clinician-person relationship; (3) ‘Information: a variable experience’ identified the importance of information and its timeliness. Conclusion Findings highlighted the need to raise awareness of dementia and the role of memory clinics and to keep those who attend, informed about the assessment process at each stage. This may help to alleviate some of the challenging emotions associated with attending a memory clinic. Findings further suggest the potential importance of additional communication training for clinicians, especially where difficult and complex disclosures of dementia need to be made.
ISSN:0002-0729
1468-2834
DOI:10.1093/ageing/afad156.279