Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
BMC Fam Pract. 2020 Dec 9;21(1):264. doi: 10.1186/s12875-020-01345-0.
Dementia is an age-related syndrome that is estimated to affect 46.8 million people worldwide (2015). In ageing populations, the prevalence of dementia is expected to increase. General practitioners (GPs) are often the first to be contacted when signs of dementia appear. This cluster-randomised trial (CRT) investigates the effects of a dementia care toolbox mailed to GP practices to facilitate dementia care. It contained patient brochures and posters for the waiting room in three languages, information cards for professionals and practical tools in three languages. The GPs' and practice assistants' (PrAs) use of and opinion about the toolbox is reported here.
Three months after receiving the toolbox, participating GPs and PrAs were sent a standardised, self-administered questionnaire asking about the use and helpfulness of the various toolbox items by mail.
A total of 50 GPs and PrAs (14 GPs and 36 PrAs) from 15 practices completed the questionnaire. Of the participants, 82.0% reported using at least one of the tools, while 18.0% had used none. In descending order, the patient brochures (70.0%), the information card (58.0%) and the poster (40.0%) were used. In general, the brochures (52.1%), the information card (44.9%) as well as the poster (28.6%) were perceived as helpful.
Overall, the dementia toolbox was widely accepted by both professional groups. Future research should investigate long-term effects of information strategies for GP practice settings.
German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00014632 . Registered 02 August 2018. Clinical register of the study coordination office of the University hospital of Bonn. Registered 05 September 2017.
痴呆症是一种与年龄相关的综合征，据估计，全球有 4680 万人（2015 年）受到影响。在人口老龄化的情况下，痴呆症的患病率预计会增加。当出现痴呆症迹象时，全科医生（GP）通常是第一个被联系的人。这项整群随机试验（CRT）研究了寄给全科医生诊所的痴呆症护理工具包对促进痴呆症护理的影响。它包含三种语言的患者小册子和候诊室海报、专业人员信息卡和三种语言的实用工具。这里报告了全科医生和实习助理（PrA）对工具包的使用情况和意见。
在收到工具包三个月后，通过邮件向参与的全科医生和实习助理发送了一份标准化的自我管理问卷，询问他们对工具包中各种工具的使用情况和帮助程度。
共有 15 个实践中的 50 名全科医生和实习助理（14 名全科医生和 36 名实习助理）完成了问卷。在参与者中，82.0%报告至少使用了一种工具，而 18.0%的人没有使用过。按降序排列，患者小册子（70.0%）、信息卡（58.0%）和海报（40.0%）使用最多。一般来说，小册子（52.1%）、信息卡（44.9%）和海报（28.6%）被认为是有帮助的。
总的来说，痴呆症工具包得到了两个专业群体的广泛接受。未来的研究应该调查针对全科医生实践环境的信息策略的长期效果。
德国临床试验注册中心，DRKS00014632。注册于 2018 年 8 月 2 日。波恩大学医院研究协调办公室的临床登记册。注册于 2017 年 9 月 5 日。
