The specific aims of the Los Angeles Area Alzheimer Outreach Program (LAAAOP) are to: 1) improve primary-care physician knowledge regarding the diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by providing a comprehensive practice-integrated continuing medical education (CME) curriculum on AD and through periodic mailings of instructional materials; 2) improve the access of AD patients from minority populations to qualified physicians; and 3) enhance the participation of minority members in AD research projects of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) Consortium of Los Angeles and Orange Counties and the UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Core Center (ADCC). The LAAAOP is a unique educational venture featuring the collaboration of two AD Centers and two chapters of the Alzheimer's Association (Los Angeles and Orange Counties). Physicians named through patient care networks as well as physicians identified through focused mailing lists will comprise the audience for educational outreach efforts. The practice-based curriculum involves reading a syllabus, learning to administer a neurobehavioral examination, submitting the evaluation of four dementia patients to an expert panel for review, and providing a report of the impact of the course on one's practice. Graduates of the course will be added to the Alzheimer's Association help line referral network and will receive 50 hours of CME credit. The course is available in English and Spanish. Educational mailings to physicians will be made every two months and will include an instructional module with questions that can be answered and returned for CME credit. Audiotaped versions of the modules will also be available. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) will be taught as a means of improving practice. Information will be obtained on the ethnicity, gender, age, type of practice, and use of the MMSE by the physicians on the mailing list. Monitoring the number of information requests, accuracy of CME responses, and alterations in the frequency of use of the MMSE will provide a quantitative means of assessing the impact of the module program. Los Angeles offers a unique opportunity to assess various methods of disseminating information to the physician community.
