Attitudes toward dementia management in Germany - Data from the IMPACT survey (Important Perspectives on Alzheimer's Care and Treatment)

Attitudes toward dementia management in Germany Data from the IMPACT survey (Important Perspectives on Alzheimer's Care and Treatment). Aim: To assess attitudes and opinions of primary care physicians, neuropsychiatrists, care givers, and community members regarding the management of dementia in Germany. Methods: The IMPACT survey, a 30-minute web-based questionnaire conducted between April and May 2009, queried 350 subjects in Germany (200 community members, 100 physicians, 50 caregivers of patients with dementia) as a subpopulation of 1800 subjects involved in the management of dementia subjects across Europe. Results: Community members favored dementia-screening (p < 0.001) in healthy elderly and wanted to know a diagnosis of dementia as early as possible (p = 0.092). German physicians regarded dementia as underdiagnosed and undertreated, they acknowledged the effectiveness of available antidementia drugs and saw the major reason for not-prescribing in the costs of drugs. Conclusion: Professional knowledge about dementia has to be enhanced and financial restrictions have to be reduced to improve dementia management on all levels of medical care.