Predicting dementia from primary care records: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Possible dementia is usually identified in primary care by general practitioners (GPs) who refer to specialists for diagnosis. Only two-thirds of dementia cases are currently recorded in primary care, so increasing the proportion of cases diagnosed is a strategic priority for the UK and internationally. Variables in the primary care record may indicate risk of developing dementia, and could be combined in a predictive model to help find patients who are missing a diagnosis. We conducted a meta-analysis to identify clinical entities with potential for use in such a predictive model for dementia in primary care.

Methods and findings

We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Web of Science and primary care database bibliographies. We included cohort or case-contr

SUBMITTER: Ford E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5875793 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature