A new national survey of centers for cognitive disorders and dementias in Italy
File(s)
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: A new national survey has been carried out by the Italian Centers for Cognitive Disorders and Dementias (CCDDs). The aim of this new national survey is to provide a comprehensive description of the characteristics, organizational aspects of the CCDDs, and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A list of all national CCDDs was requested from the delegates of each Italian region. The online questionnaire is divided in two main sections: a profile section, containing information on location and accessibility, and a data collection form covering organization, services, treatments, activities, and any service interruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. RESULTS: In total, 511 out of 534 (96%) facilities completed the profile section, while 450 out of 534 (84%) CCDDs also completed the data collection form. Almost half of the CCDDs (55.1%) operated for 3 or fewer days a week. About one-third of the facilities had at least two professional figures among neurologists, geriatricians and psychiatrists. In 2020, only a third of facilities were open all the time, but in 2021, two-thirds of the facilities were open. CONCLUSION: This paper provides an update on the current status of CCDDs in Italy, which still shows considerable heterogeneity. The survey revealed a modest improvement in the functioning of CCDDs, although substantial efforts are still required to ensure the diagnosis and care of patients with dementia.
Date Issued
2024-02-01
Date Acceptance
2023-07-08
Citation
Neurological Sciences, 2024, 45 (2), pp.525-538
ISSN
1590-1874
Publisher
Springer
Start Page
525
End Page
538
Journal / Book Title
Neurological Sciences
Volume
45
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37592124
PII: 10.1007/s10072-023-06958-8
Subjects
Cognition Disorders
Cognitive Dysfunction
COVID-19
Dementia
Humans
Italy
Pandemics
Surveys and Questionnaires
Centers for Cognitive Disorders and Dementias
COVID-19
Dementia
Memory clinic
National dementia plan
Public health
Survey
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Italy
Date Publish Online
2023-08-18