[The Influence of Caseload on Continuous Treatment with Antidementia Drugs]

Objective The goal of this study is to investigate the impact of the number of dementia cases in general and specialist practices on the continuity of treatment with antidementia drugs. Methodology Period between 2004 and 2013: 1116 general practices, 200 specialist practices, 37 178 dementia cases; observation period: 36 months. Practice groups with 1 - 9, 10 - 20, 21-s49, and ≥ 50 dementia cases. Results The treatment continuity is higher in practices with an average of 150 dementia cases than in practices with five dementia cases (73.6 % vs. 42.1 %). In addition to the number of cases, treatment continuity is also affected by the specialization, but not by the practice size. Conclusion Practices with more than 50 patients treated with antidementia drugs exhibit greater treatment continuity. Treatment continuity is increased if specialists are involved in the treatment.