A study shows that dementia patients who see the same doctor regularly are more likely to have better health.
University of Exeter researchers discovered dementia Sufferers had a great time If they see the same doctor regularly, there are many benefits that will be available to them.
You also have a greater chance of finding medication that’s a good match for you and is less likely to cause side effect.
Study of 9000 patients revealed that people who see a regular physician were 9.7 percentage less likely than those who did not visit them every year to end up in hospital.
Additionally, those with a regular GP were 35 per cent less likely to develop delirium, a severe state of confusion commonly experienced by dementia suffers.
Experts agree that it’s crucial for people suffering from the condition to have the same GP. This allows them better to understand the nuances and help with their treatment.
However, figures suggest that a rising number of Britons don’t get to see their preferred doctor. A recent NHS survey showed only 45% of those surveyed did.
Locum doctors are becoming more common than permanent doctors in the health system. The Covid pandemic has also led to a combination shortage of doctors and increased burnout.
According to a study, dementia suffers who went to the same doctor for care were less likely to have delirium and to need to be prescribed medication that could cause incontinence (stock image).
Lead author of the study, Dr João Delgado, said as well as important for a patient’s quality of life and survival chances, improving care also helped keep costs for the NHS down by keeping dementia sufferers out of hospital.
He stated that research showed consistent attendance at the same general physician over time was associated with better prescribing outcomes and safer medication.
“This could have significant healthcare benefits, such as reduced treatment costs or care requirements.”
Researchers also discovered that patients with dementia who are seen regularly by the same physician were less likely be prescribed medicines that may cause issues like incontinence and drowsiness.
Charities estimate that dementia currently costs the UK £34.7billion in care per year.
Study co-author, Sir Denis Pereira Gray, a research GP at St Leonard’s Practice in Exeter, said: ‘These new findings show that GP continuity is associated with important benefits for patients.’
“While national policymakers have long discouraged continuity, general practitioners can still offer good continuity by using their internal organization, such as personal lists, to provide GP continuity.
The study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, analysed over 9,000 anonymised patient records of people with dementia in 2016 who had seen a GP at least three times in the previous year.
Responding to the study’s findings, the Alzheimer’s Society’s said it highlighted the importance of consistency in GP care, and warned this had been disrupted by the Covid pandemic.
Richard Oakley (associate director of research for the charity) said that while they might not have GP services available to all with dementia in the future, it is imperative that policymakers work closely with the NHS and include this aspect into their plans once we recover from the pandemic.
Covid was a devastating virus that impacted UK GPs. It also affected staff numbers. The vaccine and booster campaign in 2021 were very successful.
Even though Covid incidences were relatively low, GP services struggled in certain areas to reach pre-pandemic levels.
NHS Digital data shows just under 60 percent of all face-to-face appointments in England by GPs as of Monday, January 3.
This is compared to approximately 80 percent of all appointments that were face-to-face before the Covid pandemic.
Nearly 900,000. people in Britain are living with dementia. It is the most common cause of death. In the United States, this number is estimated to exceed 5 million.
The syndrome is infamously characterized by memory loss due to a progressive decline in brain function among those 65-years-and-older.
DEMENTIA: WHAT IS IT? THE KILLER DISEASE, THAT ROSES THE MEMORIES OF THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERED
The umbrella term dementia is used to refer to a variety of neurological disorders.
A GLOBALISED CONCERN
A broad term that describes a variety of neurological conditions (those affecting brain function) that can affect memory, thinking, and behavior is called dementia.
There are many different types of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common.
There may also be a mixture of both types of dementia.
No matter what type of dementia is being diagnosed, every person experiences their dementia differently.
Although dementia is an issue worldwide, it’s most common in wealthy countries where older people live longer.
WHAT TYPES OF PEOPLE ARE IMPACTED?
The Alzheimer’s Society reports there are more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK today, of which more than 500,000 have Alzheimer’s.
According to estimates, the UK will have over 1,000,000 people with dementia by 2025.
It is estimated that there are approximately 5.5 million Alzheimer’s patients in the United States. In the next few years, a similar increase is anticipated.
As a person’s age increases, so does the risk of them developing dementia.
Although the rate of dementia diagnosis is improving, many patients are still not diagnosed.
Is there a cure?
There is currently no treatment for dementia.
However, new drugs are able to slow down the process and make it more difficult.
Source: Alzheimer’s Society