Effectiveness of educational interventions in improving detection and management of dementia in primary care: cluster randomised controlled study

Citation

Downs M, Turner S, Bryans M, Wilcock J, Keady J, Levin E, O'Carroll R, Howie C & Iliffe S (2006) Effectiveness of educational interventions in improving detection and management of dementia in primary care: cluster randomised controlled study. BMJ, 332 (7543), pp. 692-695. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.332.7543.692

Abstract
Objective To test the effectiveness of educational interventionsin improving detection rates and management of dementia inprimary care.Design Unblinded, cluster randomised, before and aftercontrolled study.Setting General practices in the United Kingdom (centralScotland and London) between 1999 and 2002.Interventions Three educational interventions: an electronictutorial carried on a CD Rom; decision support software builtinto the electronic medical record; and practice basedworkshops.Participants 36 practices participated in the study. Eightpractices were randomly assigned to the electronic tutorial;eight to decision support software; 10 to practice basedworkshops; and 10 to control. Electronic and manual searchesyielded 450 valid and usable medical records.Main outcome measures Rates of detection of dementia andthe extent to which medical records showed evidence ofimproved concordance with guidelines regarding diagnosis andmanagement.Results Decision support software (P = 0.01) and practice basedworkshops (P = 0.01) both significantly improved rates ofdetection compared with control. There were no significantdifferences by intervention in the measures of concordancewith guidelines.Conclusions Decision support systems and practice basedworkshops are effective educational approaches in improvingdetection rates in dementia.

Journal
BMJ: Volume 332, Issue 7543