Digital Detection of Dementia in Primary Care

Compared with usual care, what is the effect of a combined approach using the Quick Dementia Rating System (QDRS), a patient-reported outcome tool, and a Passive Digital Marker (PDM), a machine learning algorithm that uses existing data captured by the electronic health record, in improving the annual rate of a new documented Alzheimer disease and other related dementia (ADRD) diagnosis in federally qualified health centers?This randomized clinical trial including 5325 patients found that the odds of new ADRD diagnoses was 31% higher in the clinics randomized to the combined QDRS and PDM approach compared with usual care clinics.A scalable, cost-effective approach for early detection of ADRD is possible with limited additional time and effort from the primary care team in federally qualified health centers.

Corresponding Author: Malaz A. Boustani, MD, MPH, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 1101 W 10th St, Indianapolis, IN 46202 (mboustan@iu.edu).

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