Takeaway
In persons with dementia (PWD) who are reported as missing, duration of time missing is a strong predictor of mortality; while online search tools can provide insight into trends and outcomes of PWD, they lack consistency in definitions, searching and reporting.
Why this matters
PWD that are reported missing are known to be at an increased risk of harm (including mortality) and cause additional worry to their carers – identifying methods to understand trends among PWD can help ease this burden.