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Description
The Czech Republic presently lacks a unified interdisciplinary procedure recommended for the diagnostics of various forms of dementia in the Czech Republic; recommendations by different specialized institutions tend to differ. This project thus follows the line of the strategic document NAPAN and the works of its realization´s team members cooperating in the NAPAN task group “The Recommended Procedures and the Services Network”, which meets regularly in the Ministry of Health(MHCR). Thanks to the composition of the realization team there is a direct line between determined intents, the MHCR´s subsequent strategy, and its realization. This connection represents a major advantage of the project.
The main goal of the project is to support quality healthcare, improve the passage of a patient through the care system, and ensure the continuity of particular health and social services; the key instrument should be the conception of the interdisciplinary document “Recommended Procedures for the Diagnostics and Treatment of the Alzheimer Disease and other Cognitive Disorders”. The overall significance of the document and the project resides in its “interdisciplinarity” and the effort aimed at reaching a consensus through the individual healthcare branches. Thus it is not a document intended for a group of experts, but rather the crucial deed with a great influence on the whole Czech Republic. All subsequent steps determined by the NAPAN Strategic Document will be derived from these Recommended Procedures.
The unique nature of the project lies in the fact that during its two-year realization period it strives not only to create this document but also to implement it into the wide medical public. Thanks to the interdisciplinary cooperation the Activity 3 of the project aspires to address 5.200 GPs, to ensure the participation of all cooperating specialists in conferences, create an educational course, and publish the Recommended Procedures in various professional journals.
Summary of project results
In the Czech Republic, there has been no unified recommended guideline (hereinafter referred to as "RG") for the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer''s disease and other cognitive disorders with interdisciplinary validity. The project directly built upon the strategic document NAPAN and the work of members of the implementation team involved in the NAPAN working group "Recommended Guidelines and Service Network," which meets regularly at the Ministry of Health (hereinafter referred to as "MoH"). The creation of the RG directly fulfilled the strategy of the MoH in practice.
The broader impact of the document and the project lies in its interdisciplinary approach and its effort to achieve mutual consensus across medical fields. It is thus a key document with nationwide implications for the Czech Republic. All subsequent points and steps outlined in the NAPAN strategic document will also be influenced by these Recommended Guidelines.
The project''s reach extended to implementation among the professional medical community. Through Activity 3 of the project, the project and the document were presented to 5,200 general practitioners, conferences were held in all regions, and the RG was published in professional journals of the four involved organizations. The project and the RG were also widely presented in the media, including various newspapers, articles, and TV news reports. As part of the publicity activity, two major press conferences were also held. An unexpected outcome was the publication of the RG in book form.
The project faced three major challenges, which extended the project timeline but were crucial for its successful completion. The risk of project delays was mitigated by extending the project duration by four months, until April 30, 2024:
1. At the start of the project, it was necessary to precisely establish the methodology for evidence-based RG.
2. Achieving interdisciplinary consensus.
3. The publication of the RG in book form.
On February 16, 2024, an administrative audit by the Ministry of Finance took place, which was completed successfully without any comments.
The project implemented five activities with several outputs. The overall objective of the project was to develop the Recommended Guidelines (RG) and ensure their implementation among the professional medical community.
1. Development of Recommended Guidelines focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of dementia
1.1. Overview and review of existing examples of European recommended guidelines.
1.2. Creation of the Recommended Guidelines document.
1.3. Publication of the Recommended Guidelines document in book form.
2. Defining roles and competencies within the healthcare system dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of people living with dementia
2.1. Mapping the patient''s pathway through the system.
2.2. Conducting workshops.
2.3. Defining the roles and availability of geriatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists, general practitioners, psychologists, neuropsychologists, and highly specialized centers.
2.4. Proposing changes to the reimbursement system.
3. Education of the professional medical community
3.1. Publications in professional journals.
3.2. Development of materials for the accreditation of a specialization course.
3.3. A series of educational activities:
• 3.3.1. Conferences.
• 3.3.2. Education for general practitioners and webinars.
• 3.3.3. Regional workshops for specialist physicians from the involved disciplines.
4. Publicity for the project
4.1. Publicity activities.
5. Project management
This activity was carried out throughout the project. It was managed by two project managers and three assistant managers from the Czech Medical Association of J. E. Purkyně (ČLS JEP).
The purpose of the project was to strengthen measures supporting the early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer''s disease and other cognitive disorders through the creation of interdisciplinary recommended guidelines (RG) and by increasing awareness of this document among the professional medical community through education. The main objective of the project was to promote high-quality healthcare, improve the efficiency of the pathway for patients with dementia within the system, and enhance the continuity of individual services.
From the beginning of the project, we emphasized that the RG document would fully align with the NAPAN strategic document and represent an interdisciplinary consensus.
Another goal was to ensure the implementation of the document among the professional community. For this reason, a rather extensive Activity 3 was carried out. The project also focused on training all general practitioners through two online webinars, including the distribution of printed RG to general practitioners. Specialists, particularly young geriatricians, were involved in Activity 2 from the outset, and practical workshops were conducted to gather insights on the subject matter in various cities across all 14 districts.
It can be said that the project fully aligns with its intended purpose and has completely achieved both its main objectives and its purpose. All proposed activities were successfully completed within a relatively short timeframe for such a complex project. Thanks to the high-quality work of the entire implementation team, the RG was published in book form following mutual agreement with the implementation team and the governing body of the Ministry of Health.