Interprofessional Primary Care and Acute Care Hospital Use by People With Dementia: A Population-Based Study

Nadia Sourial; Tibor Schuster; Susan E. Bronskill; Claire Godard-Sebillotte; Jacob Etches; Isabelle Vedel

doi:10.1370/afm.2881

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RE: Interprofessional Primary Care and Acute Care Hospital Use by People With Dementia: A Population-Based Study
Michael R Muccio, Alexandra E Kmetyk, Emmanuel A Scaria, Sarah A Talib and Lorraine S Wallace

Published on: 01 March 2023

Published on: (1 March 2023)
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RE: Interprofessional Primary Care and Acute Care Hospital Use by People With Dementia: A Population-Based Study
Michael R Muccio, Undergraduate, The Ohio State University
Other Contributors:
Alexandra E Kmetyk, Undergraduate

Emmanuel A Scaria, Undergraduate

Sarah A Talib, Undergraduate

Lorraine S Wallace, Associate Professor—College of Medicine
As four aspiring health care providers, we were interested in how distinct types of primary care delivery affected health and wellbeing of patients with dementia. The study was groundbreaking, as it was the first of its kind, and it provided a new insight into effective ways to provide care to patients with dementia. As a patient population with cognitive and clinical needs that are distinct from the general population, this study showed that IPC may not be the most effective mode of providing primary care. The sampling methods used in this study were notable, as they were able to effectively isolate a specific population subset. Additionally, the large sample size and a long time of interest contribute to the study's validity and reliability.
We were impressed by this study, and we have questions on how the study can be potentially expanded. First, physician groups were not identified, so we wondered if there was more information on the groups (makeup, demographics, location, etc.), more information could be found between the relationship of dementia patients and their health care providers. Additionally, noting differences in clinical symptoms of dementia when compared to most medical conditions, we were wondering if IPC groups more specialized towards dementia patients could significantly reduce the number of emergency department visits and one-year hospitalizations. It was mentioned in the paper that rural patients with dementia receiving IPC had less ED vis...
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As four aspiring health care providers, we were interested in how distinct types of primary care delivery affected health and wellbeing of patients with dementia. The study was groundbreaking, as it was the first of its kind, and it provided a new insight into effective ways to provide care to patients with dementia. As a patient population with cognitive and clinical needs that are distinct from the general population, this study showed that IPC may not be the most effective mode of providing primary care. The sampling methods used in this study were notable, as they were able to effectively isolate a specific population subset. Additionally, the large sample size and a long time of interest contribute to the study's validity and reliability.
We were impressed by this study, and we have questions on how the study can be potentially expanded. First, physician groups were not identified, so we wondered if there was more information on the groups (makeup, demographics, location, etc.), more information could be found between the relationship of dementia patients and their health care providers. Additionally, noting differences in clinical symptoms of dementia when compared to most medical conditions, we were wondering if IPC groups more specialized towards dementia patients could significantly reduce the number of emergency department visits and one-year hospitalizations. It was mentioned in the paper that rural patients with dementia receiving IPC had less ED visits, as compared to their urban counterparts. Is this reduced rate due to the patient's location and/or differences in the quality of care they are receiving? We also wondered how this study would relate to other areas of Canada and around the world, like in the United States where there is not universal healthcare. The ground-breaking study was an indicator of the need for more research around dementia patients and the efficacy of primary care they receive.
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Competing Interests: None declared.