Shortcomings in the diagnosis and management of dementia in primary care: Towards an educational strategy

Dementia is under-diagnosed and sub-optimally managed in primary care, and general practitioners (GPs) appear to have a limited conceptual framework for the dementias. This review identifies barriers to early diagnosis and optimal management, and proposes educational methods for overcoming them that have been developed and tested for applicability and acceptability. Field testing of these approaches, ideally in randomized controlled trials, will show if they change practitioner behaviour and improve the quality of dementia care.