New and Emerging Strategies to Improve the Diagnosis and Management of Dementia-Related Psychosis

Target Audience
This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurses caring for patients with dementia-related psychosis (DRP).

Program Overview
The prevalence of dementia is increasing rapidly in the United States. Dementia places a burden on affected individuals and caregivers alike. In particular, symptoms of dementia-related psychosis predict reduced quality of life and future institutionalization. Primary care clinicians are uniquely poised to detect and manage these symptoms and to prevent adverse outcomes. In this activity, updated diagnostic guidelines, expert practice recommendations, and current and emerging treatment strategies will be discussed. The desired results of this activity are for clinicians to recognize psychosis as part of the neurodegenerative process in dementia and treat symptoms effectively while maintaining the safety and quality of life of patients.

Learning Objectives
After completing this activity, participants will be better able to:

Discuss strategies for assessment of behavioral and psychological symptoms in persons with dementia
Integrate assessment of psychotic symptoms into routine care of persons with dementia
Review best practices for diagnosis of DRP
Develop evidence-based, safe treatment plans for persons with DRP
Describe clinical trial data for emerging treatments for DRP