Home › Research › Health systems and care delivery
From Attitudes to Action, Primary Care Alzheimer's Detection: How Knowledge, Confidence, and Clinic Capacity Predict Actual Screening and Referral Behavior
Donna de Levante Raphael. Medical Research Archives, 2026-01-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Findings indicate that most primary care physicians possess adequate conceptual knowledge of Alzheimer's symptoms and commonly used cognitive screening tools. However, knowledge alone does not consistently predict screening behavior. Diagnostic confidence, integration of screening tools into routine workflows, electronic health record decision-support systems, and access to specialist referral networks were more consistent predictors of physician action. Time constraints and competing clinical demands remain significant barriers, although structured workflows and team-based care models substantially improve screening and referral rates.
Key findings
- Findings indicate that most primary care physicians possess adequate conceptual knowledge of Alzheimer's symptoms and commonly used cognitive screening tools.
- However, knowledge alone does not consistently predict screening behavior.
- Diagnostic confidence, integration of screening tools into routine workflows, electronic health record decision-support systems, and access to specialist referral networks were more consistent predictors of physician action.
- Time constraints and competing clinical demands remain significant barriers, although structured workflows and team-based care models substantially improve screening and referral rates.
Why it matters
This review found that primary care physicians' knowledge of Alzheimer's symptoms and screening tools does not consistently predict whether they screen patients. It does not address treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Study designnarrative review
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 27/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 26 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 27 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Medical Research Archives) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Medical Research Archives: journal h-index 21 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | Design recorded as “narrative review”, which our rubric does not rank (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Donna de Levante Raphael holds only 9 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Alzheimer's Foundation of America: institution h-index 17 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 26 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 26 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 27 out of 100. |
| Total | 27 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Raphael, D. d. L. (2026). From Attitudes to Action, Primary Care Alzheimer's Detection: How Knowledge, Confidence, and Clinic Capacity Predict Actual Screening and Referral Behavior. Medical Research Archives. https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v14i4.7418
Vancouver
Raphael DdL. From Attitudes to Action, Primary Care Alzheimer's Detection: How Knowledge, Confidence, and Clinic Capacity Predict Actual Screening and Referral Behavior. Medical Research Archives. 2026. doi:10.18103/mra.v14i4.7418.
BibTeX
@article{raphael2026-76a04437,
author = {Raphael, Donna de Levante},
title = {{From Attitudes to Action, Primary Care Alzheimer's Detection: How Knowledge, Confidence, and Clinic Capacity Predict Actual Screening and Referral Behavior}},
journal = {Medical Research Archives},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.18103/mra.v14i4.7418},
url = {https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v14i4.7418}
}
Related studies in Health systems and care delivery
Also in Health systems and care delivery
172 studies in the library are filed under Health systems and care delivery with no topic tag they share with another; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed tour of them. The Health systems and care delivery hub.