A set of tools for providing better dementia care

The Dementia Management Quality Measurement Set was developed in 2016 by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Psychiatric Association. It provides clinicians with an evidence-based, clearly defined group of nine metrics they can use to evaluate their care of patients with dementia — everything from disclosing the diagnosis to pharmacologic treatments.

Here are the nine measures and resources to help clinicians improve on them.

1. Disclosure of dementia diagnosis:

• Canadian Geriatrics Society: Disclosing a diagnosis of dementia,
  
• Alzheimer's Association: Disclosure of diagnosis,
  
• American Academy of Neurology: Patient questionnaire,
  
• National Chronic Care Consortium and Alzheimer's Association: Family or caregiver questionnaire,
  
• ACT on Alzheimer's: Care coordination practice tool.

2. Education and support of caregivers for patients with dementia:

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Caregiver resources and long-term care,
• National Institute on Aging: Alzheimer's caregiving,
• Alzheimer's Association: Caregiver profile,
  
• Alzheimer's Association: My stress thermometer.

3. Functional status assessment for patients with dementia:

• Aviva Health: Functional activities questionnaire,
• Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis: Clinical dementia rating (CDR) worksheet,
• Alzheimer's Association: Katz index of independence in activities of daily living,
• Alzheimer's Association: Lawton-Brody instrumental activities of daily living scale,
• Alzheimer's Association: Decision-making capacity assessment.

4. Screening and management of behavioral and psychiatric symptoms associated with dementia:

• AAFP: Geriatric depression scale,
• Alzheimer's Association: BEHAV5+,
• Alzheimer's Association: The neuropsychiatric inventory questionnaire,
• National Institute on Drug Abuse: Patient health questionnaire-2,
• National Institute of Mental Health: Mental health medications - antipsychotics,
• Healthcare Quality Campaign: Antipsychotic drugs and dementia care.

5. Safety concern screening and follow-up for patients with dementia:

• Alzheimer's Association: Safety assessment checklist.

6. Driving screening and follow-up for patients with dementia:

• Alzheimer's Association: Dementia and driving,
• American Geriatrics Society: Clinician's guide to assessing and counseling older drivers.

7. Advance care planning and palliative care counseling for patients with dementia:

• National Institute on Aging: What is end-of-life care?,
• Alzheimer's Association: End-of-life checklist.

8. Pain assessment and follow-up for patients with dementia:

• Physiotherapy Canada: Practice guidelines for assessing pain in older persons with dementia residing in long-term care facilities,
• Dementia Pathways: Pain assessment in advanced dementia (PAINAD) scale.

9. Pharmacologic treatment of dementia:

• American College of Physicians and AAFP: Current pharmacologic treatment of dementia (2008).
• National Institute on Aging: How is alzheimer's disease treated?

Read the full FPM article: “Tools for Better Dementia Care."

Posted on June 24, 2022 by FPM Editors