SynthesisAge and ageing2025
From suspicion of cognitive decline to dementia diagnosis: a systematic review of healthcare professionals' considerations and attitudes.
Synthesis in Age and ageing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Associations of Individual- and Neighborhood-Level Factors with Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Timely Dementia Diagnosis.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Observational
- Primary care determinants for timely diagnosis of dementia.Family medicine and community health · 2026Article
- Natriuretic Peptides as a Biomarker of Cognitive Decline in Hypertension.High blood pressure & cardiovascular prevention : the official journal of the Italian Society of Hypertension · 2026Review
- Just Semantics? How Diagnostic Criteria Influence Physician-Patient Narratives in Alzheimer's Disease.Neuro-degenerative diseases · 2026Article
- Bridging the diagnostic gap: Expanding dementia care navigation for timely diagnosis.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Sociodemographic and clinical determinants of the dementia treatment gap in Singapore and their evolution over a decade.Scientific reports · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInitiating diagnostic testing for dementia is a dynamic and complex process that often involves balancing competing interests. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of healthcare professionals' considerations and attitudes during the process from suspicion of cognitive decline to deciding to initiate diagnostic testing.
methodsDatabases (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsychINFO) were systematically searched on 29 January 2024 for qualitative and mixed-methods studies published since 2005. Search concepts were: 'dementia', 'considerations and attitudes', 'healthcare professionals' and 'diagnosis'. Two screeners independently conducted title/abstract-screening using ASReview (efficient and transparent systematic review machine learning framework), and full-text screening. Findings were analysed by thematic synthesis.
resultsThirty-three studies were included. Most involved primary care physicians (n = 25), primary care nurses (n = 1) or a combination (n = 7). The overarching phenomenon was that starting the diagnostic workup for dementia is a delicate process. Clusters influencing this process were: complexities arising from the nature of dementia; interaction with the patient and family; individual determinants of primary care practitioners (PCPs); expectations regarding the consequences of a diagnosis; factors related to the healthcare system; and societal factors. Together these clusters form PCPs' strategies and actions for deciding whether to start the diagnostic workup.
conclusionInitiating the diagnostic workup for dementia is a delicate process influenced by various factors including fear, reluctance and stigma. The different strategies that PCPs use cannot be captured by a single right approach. Recommendations to better support PCPs in navigating this complex process include ensuring consistent communication and clarity about their roles, and promoting interprofessional collaboration.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.