OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of elderly people without dementia who would want disclosure of a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), for themselves or for their spouses, and to verify whether the availability of medication would influence their decision. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey with a semistructured questionnaire completed during face-to-face interviews. SETTING: Medical and surgical outpatient clinics in St Mary's Hospital Center. PARTICIPANTS: 204 subjects 65 years or older with at most mild cognitive impairment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage of positive responses for disclosure of a diagnosis of AD to self or to spouse, with or without medication. RESULTS: Nearly all (98%) subjects wanted disclosure for themselves. Most (78%) wanted disclosure for their potentially afflicted spouses when medication was said to be unavailable. This proportion increased to 97%, however, if medication was available. CONCLUSION: Most participants requested honesty for themselves. Most wanted disclosure to a potentially affected spouse when medication is said to be available.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of elderly people without dementia who would want disclosure of a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), for themselves or for their spouses, and to verify whether the availability of medication would influence their decision. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey with a semistructured questionnaire completed during face-to-face interviews. SETTING: Medical and surgical outpatient clinics in St Mary's Hospital Center. PARTICIPANTS: 204 subjects 65 years or older with at most mild cognitive impairment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage of positive responses for disclosure of a diagnosis of AD to self or to spouse, with or without medication. RESULTS: Nearly all (98%) subjects wanted disclosure for themselves. Most (78%) wanted disclosure for their potentially afflicted spouses when medication was said to be unavailable. This proportion increased to 97%, however, if medication was available. CONCLUSION: Most participants requested honesty for themselves. Most wanted disclosure to a potentially affected spouse when medication is said to be available.
Entities:
Keywords:
Empirical Approach; Professional Patient Relationship
Authors: George T Grossberg; Daniel D Christensen; Patrick A Griffith; Diana R Kerwin; Gail Hunt; Eric J Hall Journal: Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry Date: 2010
Authors: Jan Lecouturier; Claire Bamford; Julian C Hughes; Jillian J Francis; Robbie Foy; Marie Johnston; Martin P Eccles Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2008-05-01 Impact factor: 2.655