Torsby and Likenäs care centers will be among the first in the country to test a new digital tool for investigating dementia. The company behind the tool, Geras Solutions, hopes to get valuable information about ease of use - and that many more people will receive the correct diagnosis in time.
Geras Solutions cognitive tests were recently evaluated in a clinical study in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital. The result was equivalent to the paper-and-pencil tests carried out in specialist care, which also form the basis of the digital service. Geras Solutions' platform also makes it possible to factor in the time it takes to do the test and a symptom questionnaire for relatives, which further increases reliability.
All parts are standardized, done via a reading tablet and corrected by AI (artificial intelligence) in order to be easily presented to healthcare personnel. In addition to cognitive disorders, the investigation can also pick up other problems that can cause similar symptoms, for example depression and alcohol abuse. A digital cognitive test is also available for private individuals, which can provide answers if you need to contact healthcare.
Can add competence and increase equality
Rickard Forsman, CEO of Geras Solutions, sees above all two basic problems with today's dementia investigations. One is the varying quality and the other is that many do not seek care at all.
- Wants to be able to offer a high-quality tool even for healthcare centers that do not have access to resources or good expertise in the area. I talk to many health centers and am struck by how incredibly different these investigations are. It is important to get a good investigation wherever in the country you live, I think we have a big role to play there, says Rickard Forsman.
Annually, between 20,000 and 30,000 people fall ill with dementia, and the number is expected to rise sharply due to an aging population, according to the National Board of Health and Welfare. Difficulties in making the correct diagnosis have also been shown in several different studies. Among other things, a neuropathological study at Lund University showed that more than half of the 176 people included in the study had received an incorrect diagnosis.
Sees increased need for investigations
Rickard Forsman believes that the demands on dementia investigations will increase, both in terms of volume and quality. Not least if an effective treatment becomes available.
- The first brake drugs that show promising results in Alzheimer's are starting to arrive, and if there really is a brake drug, I think it will increase the tendency to contact healthcare earlier.
The time it takes to make a diagnosis is today a challenge for healthcare throughout the country. Torsby and Likenäs care centers cover a large geographical area and perform around 100 dementia investigations annually. In addition, approximately 300 more patients are followed up, which leads to significant travel times as most investigations are carried out in the home environment.
- There will be quite a lot of time in the car. Our hope is, of course, that the digital service can shorten the waiting time for users. In addition, it is interesting that you can do this test yourself at home, if you feel that everything is not quite as it should be, says Carina Stenmark, specialist nurse in Torsby's dementia team.
Want to evaluate the ease of use
The test in Torsby municipality has been made possible in collaboration between DigitalWell Arena and Region Värmland within the framework of "Project test". The purpose of the test in a real environment is to get answers about the user-friendliness of the digital tool and how it affects efficiency and accessibility. During the project, dementia investigations will be carried out both by the patients themselves, as well as with the support of healthcare professionals remotely.
- Our aim with this case is to explore how we can support businesses in practice by testing and evaluating new digital solutions. In this case, it is very exciting that a care center in northern Värmland, with great distances and an aging population, wants to be at the forefront of testing new digital solutions in the field of dementia. Geras Solutions' service has the potential to have a great effect for the large masses, and then businesses that dare to be pioneers are needed. We can make that possible through DigitalWell Arena, says Lina Svensberg, process manager at DigitalWell Arena.
Fact: A large increase is expected with an aging population
- On a national level, the number of people with dementia is estimated to increase by 40 percent by 2030, due to an aging population. Annually, between 20,000 and 30,000 people become ill, but about a third of them are never diagnosed and many others are only diagnosed at a late stage of the disease.
- According to the National Board of Health and Welfare, the process to receive a dementia diagnosis takes an average of 100 days, with large variations depending on where you live in the country. There is therefore a national need for increased accessibility in the form of equal care, shorter investigation times in order to be able to provide access to the right medicine in the future.
- Örebro was the county that in 2020 had the longest investigation times (237 days while Jönköping County had the shortest (36 days), according to figures from SweDem.
- Source: The National Board of Health and Welfare
