Discrepancies were examined in diagnostic outcome between a
monodisciplinary approach and a multidisciplinary, criteria-based approach
in patients referred to a university memory clinic. Of 278 patients not
fulfilling dementia criteria, 19 had been previously diagnosed as demented
(specificity: 0.93). In 60 of 152 demented patients, dementia had not been
diagnosed before (sensitivity: 0.61). Underreporting was frequent for
mildly demented patients and for patients with coexisting depressive
symptoms. In patients referred by psychiatrists, sensitivity rates for
dementia and Alzheimer's disease were low; in patients referred by
neurologists, depression often went unreported. Results underscore the need
for more frequent use of integrated multidisciplinary services for
cognitively disturbed patients.Abstract Teaser