I was worried coming in because I don't really know why it was arranged'The subjective experience of new patients and their primary caregivers attending a memory clinic Abstract Whilst in the Western world, memory clinics are fast becoming an evolving feature of the Geriatric Service landscape, little is known from a user's perspective about the expectations and experiences of people with memory problems referred to a memory clinic for the first time and about the attitudes and concerns of their family caregivers. This article reports quantitative and qualitative data emerging from a study of 28 patients with dementia and their family caregivers who attended a first appointment at a National Memory Clinic in Ireland. Data show that despite initially feeling unnerved by the clinic appointment, immediately afterwards the majority of patients felt content with the assessment process, were satisfied with the explanations and information received, felt the appointment had benefited them and by the end of the visit felt more positive than negative about their experience. A large number of patients who responded to a question about feedback, requested that this information be given to them in writing as well as orally. Some recommendations are made about small procedural changes which can be made to help to demystify the memory clinic experience.Keywords assessment; family caregiver; memory problems; person with dementia; service de men tia d e m e n t i a http://dem.sagepub.com vol 7(2) 175-189
ObjectiveTo document the involvement of general practitioners (GPs) in cardiac arrests with resuscitation attempts (CARAs) and to describe the outcomes.DesignA 5-year prospective cross-sectional study of GPs in Ireland equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and immediate care training by the MERIT Project, with data collection every 3 months over the 5-year period. Practices reported CARAs by quarterly survey with an 89% mean response rate (81–97% for the period).SettingGeneral practices throughout Ireland.Participants495 GP participated: 168 (33.9%) urban, 163 (32.9%) rural and 164 (33.1%) mixed.InterventionsAll participating practices received a standard AED and basic life support kit. Training in immediate care was provided for at least one GP in the practice.Main outcome measuresIncidence of CARA in participating practices. Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and discharge alive from hospital.Results36% of practices were involved in a CARA during the 5-year period and 13% were involved in more than one CARA. Of the 272 CARAs reported, ROSC occurred in 32% (87/272) and discharge from hospital in 18.7% (49/262). In 45% of cases, the first AED was brought by the GP and in 65%, the GP arrived before the ambulance service. More cases occurred in rural and mixed settings than urban ones, but the survival rates did not differ between areas. In 65% of cases, the GP was on duty at the time of the incident and 47% of cases occurred in the patient's home.ConclusionsThese outcomes are comparable with more highly structured components of the emergency response system and indicate that GPs have an important role to play in the care of patients in their own communities. GPs experience cardiac arrest cases during the course of their daily work and provide prompt care which results in successful outcomes in urban, mixed and rural settings.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.