TY - JOUR
AU - S. Shah
AU - T. Tran
AU - S. S. Wadhwa
AU - G. I. Huerta
AU - S. Ovalle-Eliseo
AU - A. Martinez
AU - K. Vossel
AU - B. Campos
AU - M. Bholat
AU - G. Moreno
AU - M. Diaz-Santos
AU - T. S. Chang
A1 - 
AB - BackgroundAlzheimer's disease (AD) affects over 10% of adults aged 65 and older. Black and Hispanic/Latino individuals experience 1.5-2.0 times higher prevalence than White individuals, yet AD remains underdiagnosed, particularly in non-White populations. Common screening tools such as the Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment are limited by time burden and cultural sensitivity.ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of integrating a brief dementia screening tool (DST) into the electronic health record (EHR) on diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment in primary care.MethodsThe DST, developed by the University of California Alzheimer's Disease Centers and the California Department of Public Health, takes under five minutes and includes a three-question patient form, optional informant questionnaire, and Mini-Cog. It was translated and culturally adapted for Spanish-speaking patients and embedded in the EHR. Patients aged ≥60 in a diverse Los Angeles County family medicine clinic completed the DST before annual wellness visits. We conducted a pre-post study comparing patients without prior dementia diagnoses during pre-intervention (February 2021-August 2022) and post-intervention (January 2023-June 2024) periods. Primary outcome was new dementia diagnosis; secondary outcomes included medications, referrals, labs, and imaging.ResultsAmong 1515 eligible patients post-intervention, 1249 completed screening. New dementia diagnoses increased from 0.75% pre-DST to 2.45% among those screening positive (adjusted OR 2.99; p = 0.01). Dementia medications, laboratory orders, and specialty referrals significantly increased; imaging did not.ConclusionsA brief, culturally adapted DST integrated into primary care improved dementia diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment.
AD - Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.; Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
AN - 41984500
BT - J Alzheimers Dis
C5 - HIT & Telehealth; Healthcare Disparities; Measures
CP - 3
DA - 06/2026
DO - 10.1177/13872877261441776
DP - NLM
ET - 20260415
IS - 3
JF - J Alzheimers Dis
LA - eng
N2 - BackgroundAlzheimer's disease (AD) affects over 10% of adults aged 65 and older. Black and Hispanic/Latino individuals experience 1.5-2.0 times higher prevalence than White individuals, yet AD remains underdiagnosed, particularly in non-White populations. Common screening tools such as the Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment are limited by time burden and cultural sensitivity.ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of integrating a brief dementia screening tool (DST) into the electronic health record (EHR) on diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment in primary care.MethodsThe DST, developed by the University of California Alzheimer's Disease Centers and the California Department of Public Health, takes under five minutes and includes a three-question patient form, optional informant questionnaire, and Mini-Cog. It was translated and culturally adapted for Spanish-speaking patients and embedded in the EHR. Patients aged ≥60 in a diverse Los Angeles County family medicine clinic completed the DST before annual wellness visits. We conducted a pre-post study comparing patients without prior dementia diagnoses during pre-intervention (February 2021-August 2022) and post-intervention (January 2023-June 2024) periods. Primary outcome was new dementia diagnosis; secondary outcomes included medications, referrals, labs, and imaging.ResultsAmong 1515 eligible patients post-intervention, 1249 completed screening. New dementia diagnoses increased from 0.75% pre-DST to 2.45% among those screening positive (adjusted OR 2.99; p = 0.01). Dementia medications, laboratory orders, and specialty referrals significantly increased; imaging did not.ConclusionsA brief, culturally adapted DST integrated into primary care improved dementia diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment.
PY - 2026
SN - 1387-2877 (Print); 1387-2877
SP - 1291
EP - 1300+
ST - Increased dementia diagnosis and workup in primary care with a bilingual screening tool integrated in the electronic health record
T1 - Increased dementia diagnosis and workup in primary care with a bilingual screening tool integrated in the electronic health record
T2 - J Alzheimers Dis
TI - Increased dementia diagnosis and workup in primary care with a bilingual screening tool integrated in the electronic health record
U1 - HIT & Telehealth; Healthcare Disparities; Measures
U3 - 10.1177/13872877261441776
VL - 111
VO - 1387-2877 (Print); 1387-2877
Y1 - 2026
ER -