South American experts reach consensus on some dementia screening protocol elements for primary care

A Delphi consensus study involving 20 experts developed recommendations for dementia screening protocols in South American primary care settings. The study aimed to create a culturally sensitive framework to support timely detection and referral within person-centered approaches to healthy aging. No comparator was reported, and the study did not involve patient outcomes or clinical implementation.

Experts reached consensus (≥75% agreement) on several key elements: using an initial screening question, determining the duration of a brief screening battery, and defining primary care team roles in the screening process. However, agreement was not achieved on which functional assessment tools to use or on specific cut-off points for some screening measures. No quantitative effect sizes, absolute numbers, or statistical measures were reported for these consensus outcomes.

Safety and tolerability data were not reported, as this was a consensus development study rather than a clinical trial. The study's limitations include its reliance on expert opinion rather than clinical evidence, the lack of agreement on important screening components like functional assessment tools, and the absence of data on the protocol's effectiveness in actual practice. Funding sources and conflicts of interest were not reported.

For practice, this work provides a structured, flexible framework that may help standardize dementia screening approaches in South American primary care settings. However, clinicians should recognize these are consensus-based recommendations that require validation through implementation studies and clinical trials. The framework supports timely detection and referral but leaves important practical questions about functional assessment and specific cut-off points unresolved.