Dr Stephanie Daly, a GP with a special interest in dementia, spoke with The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) newsGP on the pressing need to equip GPs with more knowledge of dementia risk factors, their signs and available and appropriate interventions. The Australian Dementia Research Forum (ADRF2025) recognises this need, holding Continuing Professional Development sessions again this year, on a range of topics that aim to further GPs’ knowledge and confidence in recognising and diagnosing dementia in clinical practice.

Dr Daly also speaks on ADNeT’s current blood-based biomarkers study, exploring the use of innovative blood tests for Alzheimer’s diagnosis, like plasma pTau217, which has shown 92% accuracy. These new blood tests are hopefully just on the horizon of being implemented in primary care, making GPs a critical component in early diagnosis and intervention in the future.  

Dr Daly said, ‘By leveraging the accessibility of blood tests, GPs could play a pivotal role in the future of dementia diagnosis and treatment.
 
‘I would like to see primary care at the forefront of diagnosing cognitive concerns, and I feel access to this blood-based Alzheimer’s disease biomarker will help us understand how this might work in the future.’

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Register for Continuing Professional Development session at the ADRF2025 here