Memory care approaches to better leverage capacity of dementia specialists: a narrative synthesis

Authors

Jenny Lam, Department of Pharmaceutical & Health Economics, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-3333, USA; Leonard D Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-3333, USA
Soeren Mattke, Center for Economic & Social Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-3333, USA

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-20-2021

Abstract

Prior research suggests that a scarcity of dementia specialists could hamper access to disease-modifying Alzheimer’s treatments. We describe alternative approaches on how to leverage specialist time for memory care in this narrative synthesis based on 17 semi-structured interviews and a targeted literature review on memory care approaches that leverage specialist time. We identified four types of approaches: community primary care practices empowered with better tools and training; primary care memory clinics; specialty memory clinics and; specialty memory centers. Several approaches to use specialist time efficiently have been implemented and some but not all evaluated. The optimal approach may depend on the local context.

Comments

This work is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Recommended Citation

Lam, J., & Mattke, S. Memory care approaches to better leverage capacity of dementia specialists: a narrative synthesis. Neurodegenerative Disease Management. 2021. Available at: https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/full/10.2217/nmt-2020-0038.