Developing, implementing, and evaluating the first national Memory and Cognition Clinic Guidelines in Australia.

INTRODUCTION

A lack of national consensus on the roles and responsibilities of Australian memory and cognition clinics contributes to the large variability seen across services. The introduction of guidelines and a quality assessment framework could facilitate greater harmonization and quality improvements.

METHODS

We used a modified Delphi process to develop the guidelines. Pilot clinics completed a self-assessment, case-note audit, and review meeting to evaluate their service against the guidelines.

RESULTS

The final guidelines included 160 standards on 14 different topics. Standards around maximum waiting times for an assessment and minimum post-diagnostic care responsibilities were particularly controversial. Seven clinics participated in the pilot. On average, clinics achieved 56% of standards (range of 18% to 87%).

DISCUSSION

The Memory and Cognition Clinic Guidelines form the first step toward greater harmonization and quality improvements. Key learnings from the clinics' feedback included reducing the number of secondary standards and streamlining data collection with the national dementia clinical quality registry.

HIGHLIGHTS

We developed and implemented the first national consensus-based best-practice guidelines for memory and cognition clinics in Australia.The guidelines are based on consultation with 125 Australian health professionals and 89 Australians living with dementia and care partners.First-time national agreement on standards around maximum waiting times for an assessment and minimum post-diagnostic care requirements is presented in the guidelines.The guidelines were implemented in seven memory and cognition clinics from five different states.Clinicians' feedback included: reducing the number of secondary standards to increase conciseness and practicability should be considered for future iterations.