About the project
Dementia is an increasingly common condition, with the number of people with dementia in the UK forecast to almost double by 2040 to around 1.6 million. The UK Government has called for more research into ways of identifying people who do not yet have dementia but have a high chance of developing it, so that early interventions can be developed to reduce their risk. Dementia affects a person’s ability to think (cognition), i.e. the brain’s ability to process, store and recall information. There are many risk factors that can increase a person’s risk of developing dementia.
Being able to identify those at the greatest risk of developing dementia has several advantages. It will allow people to make changes to their lifestyles that could help to reduce the risk of dementia, or at least to delay the onset. It will allow earlier interventions, which can increase quality of life, and it will allow people to engage in long-term healthcare planning whilst they still have their cognitive abilities. For those who are interested, it will also facilitate invitations into clinical trials of promising new treatments.
One way to identify those at greatest risk would be to use dementia risk assessment tools based on algorithms which estimate how likely it is that a person will develop dementia within a certain time period. The assessment tools utilise a combination of individual factors that are associated with an increased risk of dementia. Similar prediction tools are already being used in relation to other conditions, for instance a QRISK score, which is also calculated using an algorithm, has some success in predicting levels of risk in relation to cardio-vascular disease.
The current project is investigating the views of key stakeholders as to whether a dementia risk prediction tool would be welcomed and, if so, how and when it should be used. It is important to ensure that the use of a dementia risk tool is acceptable to patients and practice staff and that the information it provides is clear, meaningful and useful. Knowing how to discuss a potential increase in risk of dementia appropriately without causing additional distress to patients is important. The study is therefore seeking the views of primary care healthcare professionals and patients in order to find out their views on dementia risk assessment tools. We will interview those that are living in areas of greater deprivation and compare them to areas of more affluence to see if there are differing needs across communities.