Towards Consensus on Essential Components of Physical Examination in Primary Care-based Memory Clinics*

Abstract

BackgroundPrimary care-based memory clinics were established to meet the needs of persons with memory concerns. We aimed to identify: 1) physical examination maneuvers required to assess persons with possible dementia in specialist-supported primary care-based memory clinics, and 2) the best-suited clinicians to perform these maneuvers in this setting.MethodsWe distributed in-person and online surveys of clinicians in a network of 67 primary care-based memory clinics in Ontario, Canada.Results90 surveys were completed for an overall response rate of 66.7%. Assessments of vital signs, gait, and for features of Parkinsonism were identified as essential by most respondents. There was little consensus on which clinician should be responsible for specific physical examination maneuvers.ConclusionsWhile we identified specific physical examination maneuvers deemed by providers to be both necessary and feasible to perform in the context of primary care-based memory clinics, further research is needed to clarify interprofessional roles related to the examination.

Summer Issue, 2018

“…Our summer issue contains a wide range of topics ranging from a pilot study examining the effects of methylphenidate for apathy on visual attention scanning behavior, ( 1 ) to an attempt to find a consensus on essential components of the physical exam in the setting of a primary care-based memory clinic. ( 2 ) Other papers examine the factors involved in the delay between the onset of symptoms and clinical assessment at a memory clinic, ( 3 ) guidelines for gait assessments in the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), ( 4 ) a systematic review of the national dementia strategies of various countries, ( 5 ) and an evaluation of Twitter use at the 2017 Canadian Geriatrics Society conference in Toronto, Canada. ( 6 )…”