Work

Combining the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale and the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly to Improve Detection of Dementia in an Arabic-Speaking Population

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess whether combining the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) and Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) could improve diagnostic accuracy when screening for dementia in an Arabic-speaking population with low levels of literacy. METHODS: Based on data from 225 elderly participant and informant dyads, the screening performances of the two instruments were compared and three methods for combining them--'or', 'and' and 'weighted sum' rules--were assessed. RESULTS: The 'weighted sum' method had a significantly better area under the curve value compared to the RUDAS used alone. The 'weighted sum' method and the 'and' rule had the highest specificity, while the 'or' rule had the best sensitivity. CONCLUSION: Harnessing the RUDAS and IQCODE increased diagnostic accuracy when screening for dementia in this study population.

Source: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders

DOI: 10.1159/000441649

Authors: T. Rune Nielsen, Thien Kieu Thi Phung, Monique Chaaya, Andrew Mackinnon, Gunhild Waldemar

Institutions: University of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, American University of Beirut, The University of Melbourne

Language: English

Topic: Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Ministeriet Sundhed Forebyggelse, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, Interreg