Alzheimer's Diagnosis: Real-World Physician Behavior Across Countries

Appropriate management of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) helps preserve their independence and time at home. We explored physician behavior in the management of AD, focusing on diagnosis.

Online questionnaires and patient record forms (PRFs) were created by an independent market research agency and completed by participating physicians. Physicians were recruited from France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the USA. A sample of 1086 physicians was recruited, including general practitioners, geriatricians, neurologists, and psychiatrists. Physicians completed an online interview and 2-3 PRFs based on randomly selected records of their patients with AD. Data on triggers and timing of diagnosis were captured. Data were assessed for all countries combined (global) and within each country and physician specialty.

A total of 3346 PRFs were submitted. Approximately half of patients received diagnosis within 6 months. There were large country differences. In France, only 35% of patients were diagnosed within 6 months compared to 65% in Japan. Physicians in France also reported diagnoses taking > 9 months for a substantial number of patients (39%) compared with other countries (16-29%). Caregivers were the main driver toward diagnosis. Physician suspicion of AD was a trigger for diagnosis in only 20% of cases, globally. Overall, referral rates were low (14-23%).

This study suggests that detection and timely diagnosis of AD remains suboptimal. This highlights the importance of fostering awareness of early symptoms and education on the benefits of timely diagnosis, a critical step in initiating treatment as early as possible.