Developing, implementing, and evaluating the first national Memory and Cognition Clinic Guidelines in Australia

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neurology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Significant variability exists in Australian memory and cognition clinics due to a lack of national consensus on service roles and responsibilities.
• Guidelines and a quality assessment framework are needed to harmonize services and improve quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop the first national consensus-based best-practice guidelines for memory and cognition clinics in Australia.
• To establish agreement on standards for waiting times and post-diagnostic care.

Main Methods:

• A modified Delphi process was employed to develop the guidelines.
• Guidelines were informed by consultations with 125 Australian health professionals and 89 individuals living with dementia and their care partners.
• Seven pilot clinics evaluated their services against the developed guidelines using self-assessment, case-note audits, and review meetings.

Main Results:

• The final guidelines comprise 160 standards across 14 topics.
• Controversial standards included maximum waiting times and minimum post-diagnostic care.
• Pilot clinics achieved an average of 56% of standards, with a range of 18% to 87%.

Conclusions:

• The developed Memory and Cognition Clinic Guidelines represent a significant step towards harmonizing services and improving quality in Australia.
• Feedback highlighted the need to reduce secondary standards and streamline data collection via a national registry for future iterations.