The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Multicenter Study
The value of the GP's clinical judgement in predicting dementia: a multicentre prospective cohort study among patients in general practice.
Clinical judgement is intrinsic to diagnostic strategies in general practice; however, empirical evidence for its validity is sparse. ⋯ In this sample of patients in familiar doctor-patient relationships, the GP's clinical judgement holds additional value for predicting dementia, complementing test performance and patients' self-reports. Existing and emerging primary care-based dementia risk models should consider the GP's judgement as one predictor. Results underline the importance of the GP-patient relationship.
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The apparent rise of antidepressant use seems to be explained to a large extent by an increase in long-term use. Both professionals and patients appear reluctant to discontinue antidepressant medication (ADM). It is not known what factors determine this reluctance. ⋯ This study yielded an informed selection of the topics that seem most important to discuss when considering whether to discontinue ADM. As perspectives of both patients and professionals were combined, the topics may provide patients and GPs with a broader and more balanced scope of factors to consider, and thus facilitate a better shared decision-making process.