General practitioners' views on the early diagnosis of dementia

Abstract

This study investigated the views on the early diagnosis of dementia from over 1000 general practitioners (GPs) from 12 Health Authority areas in England and Wales. Almost half of the GPs did not believe it was beneficial to make an early diagnosis, yet most admitted they needed more training in the area. In areas where there had been specific efforts to contact and educate local GPs, the GPs were far more likely to believe in the value of early diagnosis.