Centre for Policy on Ageing



Telling patients they have Alzheimer's disease — important for planning their future, and evidence of no ill effects
Author(s)	Barnett S Meyers
Journal title	British Medical Journal, vol 314, no 7077, 1 February 1997
Pages	pp 321-322
Keywords	Dementia ; Diagnosis ; Medical workers ; Attitudes to the old of general public.
Annotation	Findings reported by Maguire et al in the British Medical Journal, 31 August 1996, have stimulated debate on how doctors should manage diagnostic information of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Arguments for informing patients include: maintaining the doctor-patient relationship and respecting autonomy; enabling the patient to participate in decisions about health care and financial planning before further cognitive loss occurs; knowing when and how to limit activities such as driving; and having some understanding of the treatments available. The author suggests that further research must aim to provide doctors with a knowledge base for their interactions with this patient population.
Accession Number	CPA-970909001 A
Classmark	EA: LK7: QT: TOB *
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.