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Digital Detection of Dementia in Primary Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Boustani MA, Ben Miled Z, Owora AH, Fowler NR, Dexter P, Puster E, Grout RW, Summanwar D, Erazo SF, Disla S, et al.. JAMA Network Open, 2025-11-03
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Results The study included 5325 patients (mean [SD] age, 71.1 [5.9] years), 3312 (62.2%) of whom were female. Compared with the usual care clinics (12-month incidence, 213 of 1724 [12.4%]), the odds of an incident ADRD diagnosis were higher in the clinics randomized to QDRS plus PDM (12-month incidence, 355 of 2301 [15.4%]; adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.05-1.64) but not the clinics randomized to PDM only (12-month incidence, 134 of 1300 [10.3%]; AOR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.63-1.11]). Compared with the usual care clinics (12-month incidence, 500 of 1724 [29.0%]), the odds of ADRD diagnostic assessments were higher in the QDRS plus PDM clinics (12-month incidence, 844 of 2301 [36.7%]; AOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.12-1.77) but not the PDM clinics (12-month incidence, 362 of 1300 [27.8%]; AOR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.72-1.22).
Key findings
- Results The study included 5325 patients (mean [SD] age, 71.1 [5.9] years), 3312 (62.2%) of whom were female.
- Compared with the usual care clinics (12-month incidence, 213 of 1724 [12.4%]), the odds of an incident ADRD diagnosis were higher in the clinics randomized to QDRS plus PDM (12-month incidence, 355 of 2301 [15.4%]; adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.05-1.64) but not the clinics randomized to PDM only (12-month incidence, 134 of 1300 [10.3%]; AOR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.63-1.11]).
- Compared with the usual care clinics (12-month incidence, 500 of 1724 [29.0%]), the odds of ADRD diagnostic assessments were higher in the QDRS plus PDM clinics (12-month incidence, 844 of 2301 [36.7%]; AOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.12-1.77) but not the PDM clinics (12-month incidence, 362 of 1300 [27.8%]; AOR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.72-1.22).
Why it matters
Clinics using a questionnaire plus a digital assessment tool had more new dementia diagnoses and more dementia diagnostic assessments than usual care clinics, while clinics using the digital tool alone did not. This suggests the combined approach may help identify dementia in primary care, though the study did not test any treatment.
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Study details
- Study designRCT
- Participants5,325
- Effect sizeAdjusted OR for new dementia diagnosis 1.31 (95% CI 1.05-1.64) with QDRS plus passive digital marker vs usual care
- Evidence strengthModerate
Limitations
Cluster randomisation of only 9 clinics in one city; outcome was diagnosis rate, not whether the diagnoses were accurate or led to better outcomes; safety-net population.
How this study scored 70/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. We have no data on free to read, so that was left out: it earned 69 of the 98 points we could judge it on, which is 70 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (JAMA Network Open) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | JAMA Network Open: journal h-index 235 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 5,325 participants |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomised (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 15 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 15 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author James E. Galvin: h-index 56 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Miami: institution h-index 998 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41212562) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 69 / 98 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 69 of the 98 points we could judge it on is 70 out of 100. |
| Total | 70 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.42222
- PubMed: 41212562
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — PubMed Central lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Boustani, M. A., Ben Miled, Z., Owora, A. H., Fowler, N. R., Dexter, P., Puster, E., et al. (2025). Digital Detection of Dementia in Primary Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.42222
Vancouver
Boustani MA, Ben Miled Z, Owora AH, Fowler NR, Dexter P, Puster E, et al. Digital Detection of Dementia in Primary Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open. 2025. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.42222. PMID: 41212562.
BibTeX
@article{boustani2025-41212562,
author = {Boustani, M. A. and Ben Miled, Z. and Owora, A. H. and Fowler, N. R. and Dexter, P. and Puster, E. and Grout, R. W. and Summanwar, D. and Erazo, S. F. and Disla, S. and others},
title = {{Digital Detection of Dementia in Primary Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial}},
journal = {JAMA Network Open},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.42222},
pmid = {41212562},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.42222}
}
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