Abstract
In 215 patients referred to a specialized medical-psychiatric inpatient unit, thorough neuropsychiatric evaluation resulted in a therapeutically important alteration of the referring diagnosis in 41%. Of patients referred with a tentative diagnosis of dementia, 63% were found to have treatable conditions. Increased educational efforts and use of neuropsychiatric consultation services are suggested to minimize diagnostic errors in medical practice. (JAMA1982;248:964-967)