Dementia Reported Missing: Use of an Online Search Engine to Track Outcomes in Persons With Dementia Reported Missing

Background:
Persons with dementia (PWD) reported missing are known to be at high risk for mortality. Analysis of online search engines’ reports of missing PWD may show patterns in the data of this relatively common event and the broad patterns relevant to mortality risk factors.
Methods:
We searched Google news for PWD reported missing for 2015. Demographics, personal details, and outcomes were recorded.
Results:
Of 673 cases, 67 were found deceased, 525 alive, and the remainder had unknown outcomes. Mortality did not differ significantly by race/ethnicity for cases with known outcomes, but cases with unknown outcomes were significantly overrepresented among non-Caucasians (P<0.001; analysis of variance). Duration missing predicted mortality (P<0.001; χ2), and mortality was lower if a photograph was provided (P<0.05; χ2). Five states had no reports and some appeared to have fewer…

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