In a just society, everyone should have equal access to healthcare in terms of prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment and care. Europe is a multicultural society made up of people who identify with a wide range of ethnic groups. Many older people from minority ethnic groups also have a direct migration background. Several studies have shown that there is a lack of equity in relation to dementia diagnoses and care because equal opportunities do not necessarily translate into equal outcomes. An expert ethics working group led by Alzheimer Europe has produced an extensive report on this issue, a policy brief and a guide for health and social care workers. In this brief summary, the authors/members of the expert working group present some of the key challenges and recommendations for healthcare clinicians striving to provide timely diagnosis and good quality care and treatment to people with dementia from all ethnic groups.

Background: Low-value care (LvC) is defined as care unlikely to provide a benefit to the patient regarding the patient’s preferences, potential harms, costs, or available alternatives. Avoiding LvC and promoting recommended evidence-based treatments, referred to as high-value care (HvC), could improve patient-reported outcomes for people living with dementia (PwD). Objective: This study aims to determine the prevalence of LvC and HvC in dementia and the associations of LvC and HvC with patients’ quality of life and hospitalization. Methods: The analysis was based on data of the DelpHi trial and included 516 PwD. Dementia-specific guidelines, the “Choosing Wisely” campaign and the PRISCUS list were used to indicate LvC and HvC treatments, resulting in 347 LvC and HvC related recommendations. Of these, 77 recommendations (51 for LvC, 26 for HvC) were measured within the DelpHi-trial and finally used for this analysis. The association of LvC and HvC treatments with PwD health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and hospitalization was assessed using multiple regression models. Results: LvC was highly prevalent in PwD (31%). PwD receiving LvC had a significantly lower quality of life (b = –0.07; 95%CI –0.14––0.01) and were significantly more likely to be hospitalized (OR = 2.06; 95%CI 1.26–3.39). Different HvC treatments were associated with both positive and negative changes in HRQoL. Conclusion: LvC could cause adverse outcomes and should be identified as early as possible and tried to be replaced. Future research should examine innovative models of care or treatment pathways supporting the identification and replacement of LvC in dementia.

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