[Referral Profile of Adult Patients Attended in the Neuropsychology Consultation at Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid from 2018 to 2023].

Abstract

Introduction: Neuropsychology is an area of psychology that studies, through different methodologies, the relationship between the nervous system and behavior. This study aims to describe the profile of the patient who most frequently received a neuropsychological assessment at HULP between 2018 and 2023.

Patients and methods: This is a retrospective observational study of 394 clinical records of subjects aged 18 years or older who were attended in the neuropsychology consultation of HULP between 2018 and 2023. The data was recorded and anonymized in a database properly guarded. Frequency tables were extracted and χ² tests were made. SPSS 26 was the programme used to make data analysis.

Results: A total of 232 women (mean age of 46,47 years) and 162 men (mean age 43,31 years) were evaluated. The most frequent reason for consultation in both groups was suspicion of dementia (112 consultations for this reason in the female group; 76 in the male group). Regardless of the reason for consultation, there were more cases of patients who had studied up to the age of 18 years. Binomial analysis reveals a statistically significant relationship between being assessed in the neuropsychology consultation at HULP and having completed studies before the age of 18.

Conclusions: The profile of the patient who is most frequently attended at the neuropsychology consultation of HULP is a middle-aged woman with education up to 18 years of age, referred by the Mental Health Service for suspected dementia. The information obtained from this analysis will help to guide future planning of assessment strategies for patients with neuropsychological problems.