Aim: Thorough diagnostics are a prerequisite for the optimal treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Biomarker-based diagnostics are standard in academia, data on practitioners' diagnostic workups is scarce. Materials & methods: Surveys in German and US healthcare providers (HCP) were conducted regarding diagnostics in presumed AD patients. A subsample of 153 German and 88 US professionals was analyzed in detail. Results: Fewer German physicians conduct AD diagnostics themselves compared with US colleagues (67% vs 99%; p < 0.0001). German doctors more often order diagnostics at other institutions (65% vs 45%; p < 0.005). No significant differences were found regarding the type of diagnostics ordered at other institutions. Conclusion: Diagnostic routines for suspected AD patients differ between German and US-American healthcare providers.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Germany; United States; dementia; diagnosis; health service research; healthcare research.
It is important to conduct the best-possible tests to come to a correct diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This ensures choosing the optimal treatment. In academic surroundings such as specialized memory clinics, so called biomarkers (found for example in blood) are an important component in finding the correct diagnosis. However, there is limited data on the methods healthcare providers (HCP) use in their everyday clinical practice. With this study, we aimed to get a clearer picture of the differences in the diagnostic routines for potential AD patients implemented by HCPs in two high-income countries, Germany and the USA. We conducted two surveys in 500 German and 100 US HCPs on their AD-diagnostic routines. A comparable subsample of 153 German and 88 US professionals was analyzed in detail. We found that fewer German physicians conduct AD diagnostics themselves compared with their US–American colleagues (67% vs 99%). The other way around, German doctors more often order diagnostics at other institutions (65% vs 45%). However, there were no significant differences in the type of diagnostic procedures ordered at other institutions. In conclusion, diagnostic routines for suspected AD patients differ between German and US–American healthcare providers, such as biomarker-based diagnostics, which German physicians significantly perform less often.