DIAMOND-Lewy Work Package 4, version 1.0 22.12.14
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Improving the diagnosis and management of neurodegenerative dementia of Lewy body type in the NHS (DIAMOND-Lewy): Work package 4 Feasibility study of diagnosis and management of Lewy Body Dementia in NHS secondary care services.
IRAS ID
157996
Contact name
Alan Thomas
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 12 days
Research summary
This programme grant is funded by The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and focuses on Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) which includes two related disorders: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD). The signs and symptoms of LBD are often hard to detect and currently only about one in three cases are diagnosed; as a result many patients with LBD do not receive the best possible management. The programme has two main aims:
(i) To improve the recognition and prompt diagnosis of LBD through the introduction of a simple assessment tool.
(ii) To improve patient management and outcomes through the development and introduction of an evidence-based toolkit for clinicians.The programme will involve memory/dementia assessment services and movement disorder services from NHS Trusts in North-East England and East Anglia. It consists of five interlinked work packages (WP) which will:
WP1: Examine the proportion of LBD cases currently diagnosed and compare the management pathways of LBD and non-LBD patients.
WP2: Explore and understand barriers and facilitators to improving the diagnosis and management of LBD in routine NHS practice.
WP3: Develop an evidence-based practical management toolkit to guide clinicians in the management of LBD. This will involve a systematic review of existing evidence and input from expert clinical and PPI panels.
WP4: Bring together methods for assessing the core LBD symptoms into a simple, quick (<6 minutes) assessment tool and pilot the assessment tool and management toolkit to ensure that they can be integrated into current NHS services.
WP5: Implement the assessment tool and conduct a cluster randomised trial of the management toolkit, to assess its impact on patient management and health outcomes.
This application is concerned with WP4 only.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NE/0028
Date of REC Opinion
6 May 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion