Assessing Risk Factors for Cognitive Decline Using Electronic Health Record Data: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Neuroscience
• Public Health

Background:

• Electronic health records (EHR) provide extensive longitudinal patient data, ideal for studying cognitive decline risk factors.
• The utilization of EHR data to identify cognitive decline predictors is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review on the use of EHR data for identifying cognitive decline risk factors.
• To categorize identified risk factors and pinpoint research gaps.

Main Methods:

• A PRISMA-guided scoping review of articles from PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL (January 2010–April 2023).
• Inclusion criteria focused on studies using EHR to investigate cognitive decline risk factors.
• Manual data extraction and classification of risk factors into medical conditions, interventions, lifestyle, socioeconomic, and environmental categories.

Main Results:

• Eighty articles were selected from 1,593, with most being large retrospective cohort studies from the US or UK.
• Medical conditions were the most studied risk factors (48.8%), often linked to increased cognitive decline risk.
• Medical interventions (31.3%) frequently mitigated cognitive decline risk, while lifestyle, socioeconomic, and environmental factors (17.5%) were also examined.

Conclusions:

• EHR data significantly advances the understanding of factors contributing to cognitive decline risk.
• Identified risk factors include medical conditions, interventions, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and environmental exposures.
• Further research can leverage EHR data to explore these factors more deeply.