Alzheimer’s DETECT: Continuing Education Drives Significant Gains in Early Diagnosis and Screening of Alzheimer’s Disease (2024–2025 Update)
Russie Allen1, tom Bregartner1, Lucy Keslar2
1Accreditation & Outcomes, 2Outcomes, Med Learning Group
Objective:
To analyze changes in clinical
behavior resulting in more screening and diagnosis of patients at risk for Alzheimer’s
disease among learners in DETECT, a continuing education initiative focused on
the early identification of Alzheimer’s disease, and to assess how improvements
in clinician competence translated into measurable real-world diagnostic
behavior.
Background:
Med Learning Group conducted 165 unique educational activities in 2024 as part of its DETECT educational initiative, supported by an independent educational grant from Lilly. Educational methods varied from large live meetings to virtual live meetings to online enduring activities.
Design/Methods:
Learners completed pre- and post-tests to measure changes in knowledge and competence. MLG provided identifying data on 14,198 participating HCPs (neurologists, primary care physicians, geriatricians, psychiatrists, and advanced practitioners) to IQVIA, who compared these learners to a matched control group. Control match criteria included specialty, geography, screening and diagnosing volume, and overall prescription writing decile. IQVIA assessed the number of new screenings, and diagnoses among DETECT learners versus those of the matched control group to determine whether educational exposure corresponded to measurable changes in diagnostic and screening activity.
Results:
Learners achieved an average +25% competence gain in their ability to implement the necessary steps for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, based on pre-/post-test performance. Improvements were consistent across specialties, including neurologists (+21%), primary care physicians (+26%), and advanced practice providers (+27%). Real-world analysis further demonstrated 109,820 more screenings (+19.7% relative lift, p<.001) and 28,449 more diagnoses among learners (+71.9% relative lift, p<.001), confirming that educational gains translated into measurable changes in clinical practice.
Conclusions:
The DETECT initiative significantly improved clinician competence and translated into measurable real-world gains in screening and diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease. These findings demonstrate how multidisciplinary education can accelerate early detection and promote timely Alzheimer’s diagnosis in real-world practice.
Disclaimer: Abstracts were not reviewed by Neurology® and do not reflect the views of Neurology® editors or staff.