CANDID-counselling and diagnosis in dementia: A national telemedicineservice supporting the care of younger patients with dementia
R.J. Harvey
Bok Engelsk 1998
| Utgitt | 1998
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| Omfang | Side 381- 388
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| Opplysninger | Objectives. To audit and evaluate the introduction of a novel supportservice for younger people with dementia, their families and theprofessionals caring for them.Design. A retrospective review of all calls received by a telephonehelpline over a 2-year period.Setting. CANDID (Counselling and Diagnosis in Dementia) offers directaccess, by telephone and e-mail, to specially trainednurse/counsellors who record the caller's query, provide emotionalsupport and practical advice. In addition to general advice, clinicaldetails are held for patients registered with the service so that theadvice given can be tailored to the patient's specific need androuted via the general practitioner for action. Advice is reviewed bya consultant neurologist and a psychiatrist.Subjects. Callers to the CANDID helpline, who made a total of 1121calls.Main outcome measures. Details of the caller and of the patient theywere caring for. Reason for calling and advice given to the caller.Results. Of the 1121 calls received during the first 2 years ofoperation, 547 were 'registered' calls relating to 241 individualpatients where more specific advice could be given through the GP.The remaining 574 'generic' calls were from members of the public andhealthcare professionals who had heard about the service and wereseeking information and advice. Reasons for calls were divided intothree broad categories: general information; clinical advice; andadvice on social issues. Among the registered callers, 50% of callswere for clinical advice. Letters were sent to GPs on 67 occasions;48 (56%) provided information only for the GP, 16(24%) advised asecondary referral and eight (12%) advised on the use of specificmedication.Conclusions. The service has become rapidly accepted and used byfamilies of patients and members of the public. Healthcareprofessionals have made less use of the service than anticipated, butit is hoped that this will increase as information about the servicebecomes disseminated. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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