How clinicians decide care for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias
Official title: Project 3 - Inside the Black Box of Clinical Decision-Making: Provider Practice Habits, Provider Caseloads, and Implications for Patients with ADRD
Funded at National Bureau of Economic Research · NIH-11195572 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how doctors' habits and workloads shape emergency care for people with Alzheimer's and related dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | National Bureau of Economic Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 1997 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $348,459 |
| NIH project number | 5P01AG005842-36 |
| Project ID | NIH-11195572 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias who had emergency department visits at UCSF during 2017–2019 (and similar ED patients elsewhere) are the focus of the data used in this project.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who never use emergency department services or whose care occurs entirely outside hospital ED settings are unlikely to see direct benefits from this project.
What this research studies
If you or a loved one with dementia go to the emergency department, this project studies how clinicians make decisions and use electronic records during that visit. Researchers will analyze high-frequency audit logs from the UCSF emergency department EHR (2017–2019) to map what information clinicians view and document and how long they spend on tasks. They will compare care and outcomes for patients with dementia versus those without and examine how individual provider caseloads and habits affect care quality. Results are intended to guide better EHR tools and organizational changes to improve ED care for people with dementia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to better-designed EHR tools and workflow changes that improve diagnosis, treatment, and safety for people with ADRD in emergency settings.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research using EHR audit logs has linked documentation and workflow patterns to care quality, but applying these methods specifically to dementia care in EDs is fairly new.
Where this research is happening
-
National Bureau of Economic Research
Cambridge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kolstad, Jonathan T. — National Bureau of Economic Research
- Study coordinator: Kolstad, Jonathan T.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.