Table 3. Presence of diagnostic workup elements in GP referral letters by diagnostic outcome.
| Workup element | Dementia, n = 348 | No dementia, n = 303 | P value | Dementia without AI, n = 235 | Dementia with AI, n = 113 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient’s history | 305 (87.6) | 277 (91.4) | 0.119 | 205 (87.2) | 100 (88.5) | 0.738 |
| Collateral history | 278 (79.9) | 175 (57.8) | <0.001 | 188 (80.0) | 90 (79.6) | 0.939 |
| Physical exam | 98 (28.2) | 60 (19.8) | 0.013 | 69 (29.4) | 29 (25.7) | 0.473 |
| Neurological exam | 26 (7.5) | 29 (9.6) | 0.337 | 11 (4.7) | 15 (13.3) | 0.004 |
| Blood test | 94 (27.0) | 75 (24.8) | 0.512 | 66 (28.1) | 28 (24.8) | 0.515 |
| DD dementia mentioned | 197 (56.6) | 117 (38.6) | <0.001 | 137 (58.3) | 60 (53.1) | 0.359 |
| MMSE performed | 149 (42.8) | 103 (34.0) | 0.021 | 98 (41.7) | 51 (45.1) | 0.545 |
| MMSE, performed score, mean (SD) | 23.7 (3.9) | 25.7 (3.3) | <0.001 | 23.4 (4.1) | 24.3 (3.3) | 0.210 |
| Time to referral, months, mean (SD)a | 6.0 (13.3) | 3.8 (8.9) | 0.003 | 6.1 (13.6) | 5.8 (12.7) | 0.893 |
Data are presented as n (%) unless otherwise stated. aTime from first consultation to referral based on first contact mentioned in referral letter and referral letter date. AI = ancillary investigations. DD = differential diagnosis. MMSE = Mini-Mental State Examination. SD = standard deviation.