If you have previously been trained to use the toolkits you can access the toolkits directly.

The Following Mini-Tutorial Covers:
Step 1: The Clinical Process
Step 2: Initial Visit
Step 3: Initial Visit continued
Step 4: Initial Visit Preliminary Diagnostic Assessment
Step 5: First Follow Up Visit

steps: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

This mini-tutorial uses the materials from the memory loss toolkit as an example.
The toolkits addressing other topics are similar in basic content and structure.

Four elements are identified in the process of finding the patients with Memory Loss you can help.

Identify: Detect significant memory loss among patients in your practice

Prepare: Improve the quality and efficiency of the diagnostic evaluation

Evaluate: Perform and document a memory disorder evaluation efficiently and with high quality

Follow-up: Offer the likely diagnosis, select drug and nondrug management strategies

Case Study
Mrs. Smith is a 73-year-old woman who came in today for a routine blood pressure follow-up. Her blood pressure was well controlled, and you renewed her prescription for Vasotec. At the end of the day, your office manager came to you to ask if everything was okay with Mrs. Smith because she had difficulty registering for her follow-up apointment.
View 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's

Increasing patient awareness
Memory and Aging (View PDF)
Medical Evaluation of Memory Loss (View PDF)

Utilizing cognitive screens during routine visits
Time and Change Test
Temporal Orientation Test

Diagnosis
To Prepare Mrs. Smith for a high quality, efficient evaluation, tools are provided to gather the necessary background information for diagnosis and treatment. Click on each one to see what is asked and how Mrs. Smith replied.
Family Report: The Memory Problem (View PDF) - prompts a family informant to tell the story of the decline
Family Report: Medical History (View PDF) - asks patient and family to provide relevant information on past medical history, social history, family history, review of systems
Family Report: Patient Behavior (View PDF) - collects information on patient functional abilities from family member

Evaluation
To Evaluate Mrs. Smith, office staff input the information gathered prior to the visit into the margins of the Memory Loss Evaluation: Initial Visit form. In addition, office staff may administer the cognitive (Folstein MMSE) and depression (GDS) screens. The primary practitioner then:

completes the history

performs and records the physical examination

develops the initial assessment

View Memory Loss Initial Visit Form as filled out for Mrs. Smith (View PDF)

Education
When the evaluation is complete, decisions are required regarding performance of a brain imaging study and referral for specialist evaluations. Educational Materials included in the Toolkits may be helpful for patients, such as:
Brain Imaging (View PDF)
Specialists in Memory Loss (View PDF)

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