Outcomes tested in non-pharmacological interventions in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a scoping review

Objectives Non-pharmacological treatments are an important aspect of dementia care. A wide range of interventions have been trialled for mild dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, the variety of outcome measures used in these trials makes it difficult to make meaningful comparisons....

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Main Authors: Vanessa Lawrence, Elyse Couch, Melissa Co, Matthew Prina
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2020-04-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/4/e035980.full
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author Vanessa Lawrence
Elyse Couch
Melissa Co
Matthew Prina
author_facet Vanessa Lawrence
Elyse Couch
Melissa Co
Matthew Prina
author_sort Vanessa Lawrence
collection DOAJ
description Objectives Non-pharmacological treatments are an important aspect of dementia care. A wide range of interventions have been trialled for mild dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, the variety of outcome measures used in these trials makes it difficult to make meaningful comparisons. The objective of this study is to map trends in which outcome measures are used in trials of non-pharmacological treatments in MCI and mild dementia.Design Scoping review.Data sources EMBASE, PsychINFO, Medline and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception until February 2018. An additional search was conducted in April 2019Eligibility We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) testing non-pharmacological interventions for people diagnosed with MCI or mild dementia. Studies were restricted to full RCTs; observational, feasibility and pilot studies were not included.Charting methods All outcome measures used by included studies were extracted and grouped thematically. Trends in the types of outcome measures used were explored by type of intervention, country and year of publication.Results 91 studies were included in this review. We extracted 358 individual outcome measures, of which 78 (22%) were used more than once. Cognitive measures were the most frequently used, with the Mini-Mental State Examination being the most popular.Conclusions Our findings highlight an inconsistency in the use of outcome measures. Cognition has been prioritised over other domains, despite previous research highlighting the importance of quality of life and caregiver measures. To ensure a robust evidence base, more research is needed to highlight which outcome measures should be used over others.PROSPERO registration number CRD42018102649.
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spelling doaj-art-58ea7eb6d3ae4e7c9efa03b3e058e4c72025-08-20T02:30:30ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552020-04-0110410.1136/bmjopen-2019-035980Outcomes tested in non-pharmacological interventions in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a scoping reviewVanessa Lawrence0Elyse Couch1Melissa Co2Matthew Prina3Health Service and Population Research, King`s College London, London, UKCenter for Gerontology and Healthcare Research, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USAHealth Service and Population Research, King`s College London, London, UKPopulation Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UKObjectives Non-pharmacological treatments are an important aspect of dementia care. A wide range of interventions have been trialled for mild dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, the variety of outcome measures used in these trials makes it difficult to make meaningful comparisons. The objective of this study is to map trends in which outcome measures are used in trials of non-pharmacological treatments in MCI and mild dementia.Design Scoping review.Data sources EMBASE, PsychINFO, Medline and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception until February 2018. An additional search was conducted in April 2019Eligibility We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) testing non-pharmacological interventions for people diagnosed with MCI or mild dementia. Studies were restricted to full RCTs; observational, feasibility and pilot studies were not included.Charting methods All outcome measures used by included studies were extracted and grouped thematically. Trends in the types of outcome measures used were explored by type of intervention, country and year of publication.Results 91 studies were included in this review. We extracted 358 individual outcome measures, of which 78 (22%) were used more than once. Cognitive measures were the most frequently used, with the Mini-Mental State Examination being the most popular.Conclusions Our findings highlight an inconsistency in the use of outcome measures. Cognition has been prioritised over other domains, despite previous research highlighting the importance of quality of life and caregiver measures. To ensure a robust evidence base, more research is needed to highlight which outcome measures should be used over others.PROSPERO registration number CRD42018102649.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/4/e035980.full
spellingShingle Vanessa Lawrence
Elyse Couch
Melissa Co
Matthew Prina
Outcomes tested in non-pharmacological interventions in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a scoping review
BMJ Open
title Outcomes tested in non-pharmacological interventions in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a scoping review
title_full Outcomes tested in non-pharmacological interventions in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a scoping review
title_fullStr Outcomes tested in non-pharmacological interventions in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a scoping review
title_full_unstemmed Outcomes tested in non-pharmacological interventions in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a scoping review
title_short Outcomes tested in non-pharmacological interventions in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a scoping review
title_sort outcomes tested in non pharmacological interventions in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia a scoping review
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/4/e035980.full
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