A survey of informed consent in patients with dementia in the US and Japan.

Abstract

This study aimed to confirm the reality of family-focused medical treatment of dementia in Japan and the US. It conducted a questionnaire survey on informed consent from patients with dementia among neurologists and psychiatrists in four prefectures in the Tokai Region (Aichi, Gifu, Mie, and Shizuoka) and dementia specialists in the US. Of the responses, 120 (39.7% response rate) and 20 (5.9% response rate) were obtained, respectively. In obtaining informed consent from patients with dementia, 75 Japanese specialists (62.5%) and 16 US specialists (80.0%) regularly assessed patients' decision-making abilities. The majority of specialists in both Japan and the US used the Mini-Mental State Examination and Hierarchic Dementia Scale-Revised, which are widely used for cognitive function assessment. In the survey, 27 Japanese specialists (22.5%) and 10 US specialists (50.0%) had different considerations when obtaining informed consent for participation in research, compared to their medical practice. The majority of Japanese and US specialists obtained informed consent from both the patient and their family.