Dementia is one of the key areas of interaction between psychiatrists and neurologists. While interdisciplinary care is recommended by savant societies and public bodies, experience teaches that this is not the case in many healthcare settings. Therefore, this study aims at reviewing the current literature for accounts on conceptual and practical approaches to dementia care by both psychiatrists and neurologists.

Systematic literature review in PUBMED to identify scientific publications that have examined the way psychiatrists and neurologists interact in dementia care.

The literature search resulted in 131 identified records, of which 17 were retained for full-text analysis, published between 1993 and 2017. Themes relating to the interaction between psychiatrists and neurologists in dementia were grouped into the following categories: professionalism and nosography, specific diseases and technologies, referral, dedicated facilities and training.

Psychiatrists and neurologists currently pursue two paths to auto-regulate their respective role in dementia care: either by choosing to interact with each other along the lines of their disciplines or by means of sub-specialization. There is a paucity of research on health service models linking psychiatry and neurology in dementia care. Addressing it might also inform other domains concerned by both disciplines.