Pilot study of an Alzheimer's disease risk assessment program in a primary care setting
Laura E Korthauer1,2, Charles Denby2, David Molina2
1Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Alpert Medical School of Brown University Rhode Island Hospital Providence Rhode Island USA.
Introduction:
The goal of this study was to pilot a referral-based cognitive screening and genetic testing program for Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk assessment in a primary care setting.
Methods:
Primary care providers (PCPs; N = 6) referred patients (N = 94; M = 63 years) to the Rhode Island Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Registry for apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping and cognitive screening. PCPs disclosed test results to patients and counseled them about risk factor modification.
Results:
Compared to the Registry as a whole, participants were younger, more likely to be non-White, and had lower cognitive screening scores. Mild cognitive impairment participants correctly reported a higher perceived risk of developing AD. Patients who recalled being counseled about modifiable risk factors were more likely to report positive health behavior changes.
Discussion:
A referral-based program for cognitive and genetic AD risk assessment in a primary care setting is feasible, acceptable to patients, and yielded a more demographically diverse sample than an AD prevention registry.
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