Which Information do GPs Use to Rate the Cognitive Status of Elderly Non-Demented Patients?

Objective Knowledge about the informational basis of general practitioners (GPs) when judging their patients' cognitive status is scarce. Deepening this knowledge could help to understand why recognition of mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia is problematic in general practice. Methods As part of the German Competence Network Dementia, GPs from Dusseldorf rated the cognitive status of their elderly patients (AgeCoDe study). Furthermore, for each of these ratings the GPs had to specify one or more information they used for their decision. Results The information general knowledge of the patient and his social setting was frequently chosen by GPs, as well as subjective cognitive complaints of the patient and information from significant others. Neuropsychological test results proved to be irrelevant for the GPs' rating. Some of our results suggest that the GPs had problems in the application of the cognitive rating scale. Conclusions Against the background of our data and further results of the AgeCoDe study, implications for further research are discussed.