Cognitive Tests Could Help Identify Early Signs of Alzheimer’s

Cognitive Tests Could Help Identify Early Signs of Alzheimer’s

Appropriate tests and precise recording of patient details with the help of a medical transcription service can help identify and treat diseases early.

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Medical Transcription Services United States

Alzheimer’s or any other health condition requires to be identified at the earliest and closely monitored. This requires active interaction between the patient and doctor, which in turn requires time and patience.

Physicians utilizing medical transcription services have more time on their hands compared to those who don’t because the former are released from the heavy documentation tasks. When the doctor has more quality time to spend with the patient, it makes the patient more comfortable and confident. This is very important for providing quality patient care especially for elders. For instance, doctors can more clearly detect warning signs of illnesses and prescribe the required tests in a timely manner.

By 2060, the proportion of USA’s population over 65 years will nearly be double from 12 to 24 percent, from 46 million to over 98 million. Due to their declining immune system, older patients often pay a visit to the emergency room due to various illnesses such as heart issues, respiratory problems, injury from falls, and so on. Alzheimer’s is also a health condition that is found in many elderly people. It is currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

Alzheimer’s is a

brain disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. The early signs of Alzheimer’s are: 

Memory loss in daily life



Difficulty in completing daily tasks



Difficulty in solving problems



Getting confused with time and places



Difficulty in understanding visual images and spatial relationships



Poor judgement



Losing the ability to retrace steps



Frequent changes in mood and personality



Withdrawal from social activities

For people who have dementia or Alzheimer’s, doctors conduct screening tests. There are many screening tests, such as Minim Mental State

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Examination (MMSE). MMSE is widely used since 1975. It takes about 10 minutes to complete; the MMSE measures aspects of cognition that include orientation,

word

recall, attention and

calculation,

language

abilities, and visual construction. Scores may need to be adjusted or interpreted differently to account for a person's age, educational level, and ethnicity or race.

Primary physicians regularly check seniors’ cholesterol levels and blood pressure but often fail to request for tests to detect dementia. According to a report released in March 2019 by the Alzheimer's Association, less than half of primary care doctors say that they test patients 65 years or age or older for memory and thinking, and only 16 percent of older patients surveyed said they receive regular cognitive assessments during routine health checkups. 91 percent of the seniors said that their annual visits

included

a blood pressure

check

and 83 percent

said they

underwent cholesterol test.

According to Keith Fargo, director of scientific programs and outreach for the Alzheimer's Association, cognitive tests should be a part of seniors’ wellness programs but often primary care doctors ignore them. This test takes only a few minutes and involves asking questions to patients or their family members using short written or verbal tests.

Since some doctors skip this test, many seniors are diagnosed with dementia only when they are severely impaired. The report says, 82 percent of seniors think it's important to check their thinking and memory regularly and 94 percent of primary care physicians say it's important to assess every patient 65 and older for cognitive impairment. Joanne Pike, chief program officer of the Alzheimer's Association, says that many doctors do not bring up the topic of cognitive testing with their older patients and they wait for patients to bring any concerns. But patients often do not do that because some fear it, some of it could be stigma, and some people believe that it is good not to know about the disease or dementia. Similarly, some doctors think that knowing about the disease

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may have a negative impact on the patient. However, studies show that there is no harm in letting the patients know about the disease. Some primary care doctors resist performing routine cognitive screening because there are no studies that show clear benefits. According to Dr. Sheryl Sun, chief of internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara, California, it is hard to

justify spending valuable time during a

patient's visit to do a cognitive assessment because if you spend time doing things of questionable value, you might not get to the results that are of proven value.

It is important to treat patients well at every stage and physicians should talk to the patients about their treatment, medications, tests etc. This would instil confidence and trust in the patients and they would more willingly disclose their problems to the doctor. Documentation of all medical details is also essential and this can be easily done with a supporting medical transcription service. With the right documentation and

proper

communication,

physicians

can

ensure

more

healthy

interaction with their patients, encourage them to be more proactive in their own healthcare, and ensure optimum patient outcomes.

www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com

918-221-7809