Table 3. Presence of diagnostic workup elements in GP referral letters by diagnostic outcome
Workup elementDementia, n = 348No dementia, n = 303P valueDementia without AI, n = 235Dementia with AI, n = 113P value
Patient’s history305 (87.6)277 (91.4)0.119205 (87.2)100 (88.5)0.738
Collateral history278 (79.9)175 (57.8)<0.001188 (80.0)90 (79.6)0.939
Physical exam98 (28.2)60 (19.8)0.01369 (29.4)29 (25.7)0.473
Neurological exam26 (7.5)29 (9.6)0.33711 (4.7)15 (13.3)0.004
Blood test94 (27.0)75 (24.8)0.51266 (28.1)28 (24.8)0.515
DD dementia mentioned197 (56.6)117 (38.6)<0.001137 (58.3)60 (53.1)0.359
MMSE performed149 (42.8)103 (34.0)0.02198 (41.7)51 (45.1)0.545
MMSE, performed score, mean (SD)23.7 (3.9)25.7 (3.3)<0.00123.4 (4.1)24.3 (3.3)0.210
Time to referral, months, mean (SD)a 6.0 (13.3)3.8 (8.9)0.0036.1 (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.