Dementia care management in primary care: Current collaborative care models and the case for interprofessional education

Background Dementia is one of the most prevalent diseases in the older population. Various dementia care models have been developed to address patient’s healthcare needs. They can be described as “collaborative care” or “person-centered care”. Referring to the needs of the workforce working with persons with dementia, a key element is the use of interprofessional education (IPE). Objective The purpose of this article is to describe different international collaborative care models to define a minimum standard of healthcare professions for collaborative dementia care in primary care. This helps to identify requirements for IPE to optimize care of people with dementia and to support informal caregivers in the future. Material and methods In this article six dementia care models from 4 different countries (Germany, USA, UK and Netherlands) are described and compared regarding aims, interventions and healthcare professionals involved. Results Care teams are minimally comprised of general practitioners or primary care providers, nurses, and social workers. Additional healthcare disciplines may be involved for specific interventions. Mostly, care team members received specific training but such training did not necessarily incorporate the IPE approach. To ensure successful collaboration of professions, IPE training programs should at least consist of the following core topics: (1) early diagnosis, (2) postdiagnostic support, (3) advanced care planning for patients and caregivers and (4) effective collaborative care. Conclusion The IPE programs for dementia should be expanded and must be widely implemented in order to assess the impact on collaborative practice. This study will provide the knowledge base for structuring IPE trainings developing educational agendas and adapting existing guidelines to improve collaborative dementia care in the future.