Hukommelsesproblemer blandt ældre patienter i almen praksis: betydning af pårørendeoplysninger

TY - JOUR

T1 - Hukommelsesproblemer blandt ældre patienter i almen praksis: betydning af pårørendeoplysninger

AU - Waldorff, Frans Boch

AU - Haugbølle, Nils Wolff

AU - Møller, Hans Christian

AU - Rishøj, Susanne

AU - Waldemar, Gunhild

N1 - Keywords: Aged; Caregivers; Dementia; Family Practice; Female; Humans; Male; Memory Disorders; Mental Status Schedule; Neuropsychological Tests; Predictive Value of Tests; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Questionnaires

PY - 2006

Y1 - 2006

N2 - INTRODUCTION: The aim was to describe and analyse signs that make caregivers suspect memory problems among elderly patients in general practice. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted in October and November 2002 among all patients aged 65 or older who consulted a GP in a total of 17 practices in Copenhagen inner city. The patients who agreed to participate were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding memory, quality of life, etc. Their GP completed a questionnaire independently, and a MMSE was subsequently given to the patient. Where consent was obtained from a patient, a postal questionnaire regarding the patient's memory was mailed to a caregiver chosen by the patient. RESULTS: Out of 775 patients 62% (483) gave consent to contact a caregiver. Among the caregivers who received the questionnaire a total of 74% returned the questionnaire. A total of 88 (26%) of the caregivers suspected that the patient had memory problems. Predictors for caregiver suspicion of memory problems were: patient had complained about memory problems to caregiver (OR 21.7), caregiver had received information for other sources that the patient suffered from memory problems (OR 5.0), a MMSE in the interval between 0-24 (OR 4.5) and a low quality of life (OR 3.1). Furthermore, if the patient was male, caregivers were more likely to report memory problems. CONCLUSION: Memory impairment is commonly observed by caregivers, but is rarely discussed with a GP. The results indicate that more focus on the possibility of memory impairment among elderly patients is important in general practice. Udgivelsesdato: 2006-Oct-2

AB - INTRODUCTION: The aim was to describe and analyse signs that make caregivers suspect memory problems among elderly patients in general practice. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted in October and November 2002 among all patients aged 65 or older who consulted a GP in a total of 17 practices in Copenhagen inner city. The patients who agreed to participate were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding memory, quality of life, etc. Their GP completed a questionnaire independently, and a MMSE was subsequently given to the patient. Where consent was obtained from a patient, a postal questionnaire regarding the patient's memory was mailed to a caregiver chosen by the patient. RESULTS: Out of 775 patients 62% (483) gave consent to contact a caregiver. Among the caregivers who received the questionnaire a total of 74% returned the questionnaire. A total of 88 (26%) of the caregivers suspected that the patient had memory problems. Predictors for caregiver suspicion of memory problems were: patient had complained about memory problems to caregiver (OR 21.7), caregiver had received information for other sources that the patient suffered from memory problems (OR 5.0), a MMSE in the interval between 0-24 (OR 4.5) and a low quality of life (OR 3.1). Furthermore, if the patient was male, caregivers were more likely to report memory problems. CONCLUSION: Memory impairment is commonly observed by caregivers, but is rarely discussed with a GP. The results indicate that more focus on the possibility of memory impairment among elderly patients is important in general practice. Udgivelsesdato: 2006-Oct-2

M3 - Tidsskriftartikel

C2 - 17032608

SN - 0041-5782

VL - 168

SP - 3420

EP - 3424

JO - Ugeskrift for Laeger

JF - Ugeskrift for Laeger

IS - 40

ER -