Abstract

Dementia is an age-associated illness; in the United States, it is estimated to affect 5% of people between the ages of 71 and 80 years, and in the age group older than 90 years, an average of 37% will develop dementia.9 Unfortunately, a common conception is that progressive cognitive impairment is a normal consequence of aging, and patients frequently do not self-report cognitive impairment.9 To improve the accuracy of identifying people with an existing diagnosis of dementia, nurses and physicians require access to reliable diagnostic information. Collaboration between mental health and hospital-based medical professions is critical to improve the exchange of information and diagnoses. Electronic medical record systems need to be able to communicate between different platforms to enable information to be transmitted seamlessly. Documentation of a person's dementia subtype and severity is not currently a defined standard in hospital admission documentation in all countries.