Process and organizational characteristics of memory clinics in Israel: a national survey

A survey was conducted to describe the characteristics and activities of me mory clinics in Israel. A structured questionnaire was mailed to 25 memory clinics, accompanied by a cover letter and a returning envelope. The questi onnaire included items regarding: (a) administrative structure of the clini c (the period and place of operation, number of staff and their professions ); (b) patients' characteristics (monthly number of patients, sources of re ferral and eligibility criteria); (c) assessment methods used (history, cog nitive screening instruments, functional status assessment, neuroimaging an d laboratory tests); (d) the assessment process (length of assessment, fami ly involvement); and (e) outcomes of the assessment process. Twelve questio nnaires were returned, yielding a 52% response rate. Overall, there was agr eement regarding the general operating characteristics of the clinics. The majority was based on an interdisciplinary team including a physician, a nu rse and a social worker. The mean number of new monthly patients attending the clinics was 24 (range 7-70), and the main source of referral was the Si ck Funds, Mostly all clinics used the Mini Mental State Examination as a sc reening instrument and performed psychological, physical, neurological, and laboratory examinations. Medication treatment was the main outcome reporte d by the clinics. In a country like Israel, where geriatric psychiatry serv ices are still developing, there is an increasing need to expand the number and type of services provided by memory clinics. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.