Community Pharmacy Shows Potential in Detecting Cognitive Decline

Community pharmacies show potential in the early detection of cognitive decline; however, implementation remains limited due to consistency and feasibility. In an article published in Healthcare, the study authors stated that early detection would be beneficial for individuals with limited internet and social media use, irregular sleep patterns, and lower education levels.¹

Community pharmacies emerge as key players in early cognitive decline detection, offering vital screening tools and support for at-risk patients. | Image Credit: freshidea - stock.adobe.com

“it is the ideal setting for detecting and initiating the first management of SCD [subjective memory complaint],” the authors wrote.¹ “Specifically, community pharmacists have shown a high level of interest and relevance in the field, but there is also a noticeable knowledge gap that prevents them from feeling comfortable when intervening with patients with or at risk of dementia.”

Because the population is growing, it is getting harder to rely on specialists for detection and diagnosis of cognitive decline, highlighting the need for other health care providers to help identify patients. Health care providers, such as primary care and pharmacists, can offer tools for assessments and materials to help educate patients on brain health. If undetected, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer disease, or other dementia can lead to worse outcomes. By identifying cognitive decline earlier, it is possible to reverse some causes, manage comorbidities, and preserve quality of life.²

In the current review, investigators aim to determine the potential of cognitive decline screening in community pharmacies and develop a patient profile that could support earlier detection of cognitive decline. The investigators identified 211 records but only included 12 studies that met the inclusion criteria. A total of 18 pharmacies adhered to the study, with staff being trained to administer the semantic verbal fluency (SVF) test, short portable mental status questionnaire (SPMSQ), or memory impairment screen (MIS). After the training, 286 patients with subjective memory complaint—or self-perceived memory difficulties—agreed to participate in the study. The average age was 71.1 years; 74.8% were women, and 44.1% had primary education, 19.9% had secondary, and 25.9% had higher education. Among the sample, 79 were identified as having potential cognitive decline.¹

The investigators said that subjective memory complaint is a good predictor of dementia. A combination of the MIS/SPMSQ tests has similar error rates to the McNemar test (p-value = 1), and MIS/SVF (p-value = 0.028784) and SPMSQ/SVF (p-value = 0.014961) had imbalanced discordant classifications. The investigators concluded that SVF has different error rates compared to the other tests. However, the tests did demonstrate strong external validity, emphasizing community pharmacy’s potential in identifying patients.¹

As for the patient profile, in addition to age, patients who had limited internet or social media, suboptimal sleep patterns of less than 5 hours or more than 10 hours per day, and those with lower education levels could have greater vulnerability to cognitive decline.¹

“These findings indicate that individuals with these characteristics are ideal candidates for cognitive decline screening in community pharmacies, which could support early detection of dementia and improve prevention and intervention strategies,” the study authors wrote.¹

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REFERENCES

1. Gil-Peinado M, Muñoz-Almaraz FJ, Ramos H, Sendra-Lillo J, Moreno L. Developing a Patient Profile for the Detection of Cognitive Decline in Subjective Memory Complaint Patients: A Scoping Review and Cross-Sectional Study in Community Pharmacy. Healthcare (Basel). 2025;13(14):1693. Published 2025 Jul 14. doi:10.3390/healthcare13141693

2. Fowler NR, Partrick KA, Taylor J, et al. Implementing early detection of cognitive impairment in primary care to improve care for older adults. J Intern Med. 2025;298(1):31-45. doi:10.1111/joim.20098