Use of dementia risk assessment in community paramedicine (CP) programming: an observational study of CP@clinic and CP@home

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Early detection of dementia risk is crucial for timely intervention and management. This cross-sectional study investigated how the evidence-based Community Paramedicine at Clinic (CP@clinic) and Community Paramedicine at Home (CP@home) programs are used to assess the risk of potential dementia in community settings. The objective of the study was to assess setting-related differences in dementia risk rates and associated factors using dementia risk assessments. Data from 385 adults who participated in the CP@clinic or CP@home programs was analyzed. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests, t-tests, and logistic regression to explore associations between potential cognitive impairment and associated risk factors including demographic variables, chronic disease history, and mental health assessments. 151 CP@clinic and 144 CP@home participants were assessed for risk of cognitive impairment using the Mini-Cog tool. As expected, these groups were significantly different ( p < 0.05) in mean age (74.2 vs. 78.5 years), living alone status (75.74% vs. 43.54%), and mean number of chronic conditions (1.60 vs. 2.42). However, there were no significant differences in dementia risk rates between the CP@clinic (18.54%) and CP@home programs (20.14%) ( p = 0.84). Rates of dementia risk were similar and high in both programs, which may be attributable to selective assessment practices by paramedics. This study emphasizes the importance of dementia risk assessments in community health initiatives like CP@clinic, which may identify dementia risk in 1 in 5 individuals and facilitate timely intervention. Not applicable.