General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition: use in primary care prior to memory clinic referral

Abstract

Aims: To measure current and comparative frequencies of use of the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG) scale in consecutive primary care referrals to a dedicated secondary care memory clinic. Methods: Over 6 months (January–June 2015), referral letters from primary care (n = 121) were examined for mention of GPCOG use. Results: The proportion of patients administered any cognitive screening instrument before referral was 41.3%, with 11.6% administered the GPCOG, a significant increase compared with prior cohorts. However, GPCOG was incorrectly used or documented in 29% of cases. Conclusion: GPCOG use is increasing in primary care settings, but training in its correct use and scoring may be required to ensure that its administration makes meaningful information available.