Pathways to dementia diagnosis among South Asian Canadians.

Urban centers are increasingly ethnically diverse. However, some visible minorities are less likely than their majority counterparts to seek and receive services and treatment for dementia. This study explored experiences of South Asian Canadians, Canada's largest visible minority group, prior to dementia diagnosis.

Pathways to diagnosis: exploring the experiences of problem recognition and obtaining a dementia diagnosis among Anglo-Canadians.

Increasing evidence suggests that early diagnosis and management of dementia-related symptoms may improve the quality of life for patients and their families. However, individuals may wait from 1-3 years from the onset of symptoms before receiving a diagnosis. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of problem recognition, and the process of obtaining a diagnosis among individuals with early-stage dementia and their primary carers.

Family physicians and dementia in Canada: Part 2. Understanding the challenges of dementia care.

Objective: To explore the challenges Canadian family physicians face in providing dementia care.

Design: Qualitative study using focus groups.

Setting: Academic family practice clinics in Calgary, Alta, Ottawa, Ont, and Toronto, Ont.

Family physicians and dementia in Canada: Part 1. Clinical practice guidelines: awareness, attitudes, and opinions.

Objective: To assess Canadian family physicians' awareness of, attitudes toward, and use of the 1999 Canadian Consensus Conference on Dementia (CCCD) clinical practice guidelines (CPGs); to explore the barriers and enablers to implementing dementia CPGs in clinical practice; and to identify more effective strategies for future dementia guideline development and dissemination.

Design: Qualitative study using focus groups.

Setting: Academic family practice clinics in Calgary, Alta, Ottawa, Ont, and Toronto, Ont.

Management of dementia by family physicians in academic settings.

Objective: To determine what proportion of patients with dementia seen by family physicians are assessed and managed according to the recommendations of the Canadian Consensus Conference on Dementia (CCCD).

Design: Retrospective medical record review.

Setting: Outpatient services in university-affiliated family practice clinics in Calgary, Alta; Ottawa, Ont; and Toronto, Ont.

Assessment of dizziness among older patients at a family practice clinic: a chart audit study.

Background: Dizziness is a common complaint among the elderly with a prevalence of over 30% in people over the age of 65. Although it is a common problem the assessment and management of dizziness in the elderly is challenging for family physicians. There is little published research which assesses the quality of dizziness assessment and management by family physicians.

Educating physicians to reduce benzodiazepine use by elderly patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Benzodiazepine use by elderly patients is associated with adverse outcomes including increased risk of falls and fractures, motor vehicle accidents and cognitive impairment. Recent studies suggest that individualized feedback and education to physicians may improve drug prescribing. In this study, we evaluated an intervention to address the inappropriate prescribing of benzodiazepines for elderly patients.