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BACKGROUND: An integrated multidisciplinary approach to dementia is often recommended but has rarely been evaluated. AIMS: To evaluate the clinical effects of an integrated multidisciplinary diagnostic facility for psychogeriatric patients. METHOD: Patients suspected of having complex psychogeriatric problems were randomly allocated to the intervention (n=137) or to treatment as usual (n=93). They were assessed at baseline, and at 6 months and 12 months follow-up by means of personal interviews with the patient's proxy. The primary outcome was health-related quality of life, assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) of the EuroQd measure, EQ-5D. RESULTS: Health-related quality of life had improved at 6 months in the intervention group, whereas that of the control group had decreased. Furthermore, more patients in the intervention group experienced a clinically relevant improvement of 10 points or more on the VAS at both follow-up measurements. CONCLUSIONS: An integrated multidisciplinary approach improves dementia care.
Wolfs et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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