A Primary Care eConsult Platform for Dementia Diagnosis and Care Management
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SUMMARY Dementia rates are increasing in the U.S., and with nearly 7 million Americans living with the disease in 2024. Early diagnosis and effective intervention are critical for patients and their families, but access to dementia specialists remains limited, particularly in medically underserved and rural areas. As a result, primary care providers (PCPs) are increasingly responsible for diagnosing and managing cognitive decline, yet many feel inadequately trained and equipped to do so. This gap leads to underdiagnosis and delays in dementia care, particularly for underserved populations. BrainCheck aims to bridge this gap by empowering PCPs with the tools they need to deliver high-quality cognitive care. Our goal is to develop BrainCheck eConsult, a secure digital platform that enables asynchronous consultations between PCPs and dementia specialists, thereby improving access to specialist insights without the need for time-consuming referrals. Building on the success of our existing digital cognitive assessment tool, BrainCheck Assess, which is used in over 500 clinics, this project focuses on creating a scalable solution that integrates dementia specialist support directly into primary care workflows. Specifically, we will: 1) co-design BrainCheck eConsult with input from both PCPs and dementia specialists to ensure it meets real-world clinical needs (Aim 1); 2) develop a prototype of BC eConsult based on the co-design results (Aim 2); and 3) pilot test the platform in a real-world clinical setting with six PCPs and two dementia specialists to assess feasibility and impact on care delivery (Aim 3). The long-term goal is to improve access to timely, accurate dementia diagnosis and management in primary care settings, particularly for underserved populations, thereby reducing disparities in cognitive care. Success in this phase project will pave the way for larger-scale validation and broader implementation of the platform in primary care settings.
