A pilot comparison of remote versus in-clinic digital cognitive assessments for older adults in primary care settings

  1. Louisa Thompson
  2. Charles Eaton
  3. Sarah Prieto
  4. Molly Lawrence
  5. Stephanie Czech
  6. Jennifer Rosenbaum
  7. David Anthony
  8. Rabin Chandran
  9. Lauren Kelly
  10. Ivy Ngo
  11. Arnold Goldberg
  12. Caitlin Gillooly
  13. Nelson Roque
  14. Hailey Andrews
  15. A. Rani Elwy
  16. Richard N. Jones
  17. Dorene M. Rentz
0 evaluations Published on
Read the full article Related papers
This article on Sciety

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Timely identification of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is critical for maximizing early intervention opportunities in older adults at risk for dementia. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of novel digital cognitive tests in primary care.

METHODS

In a 16-month, two-phase pilot study across three clinics, 51 older adults completed digital cognitive assessments remotely on personal devices followed by supervised tablet-based cognitive screening in-clinic and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Surveys and interviews assessed patient and provider acceptability. Digital test completion rates were examined to assess feasibility.

RESULTS

Completion rates ranged from 60% - 76% for the at-home assessments and 81.8% for in-clinic testing. Participants generally preferred at-home testing. Providers found in-clinic testing acceptable but identified barriers related to device access and EMR integration. All but one digital test showed moderate correlations with the MoCA.

CONCLUSION

Digital cognitive screening—whether remote or in-clinic—shows promise for primary care implementation.

Related articles

Related articles are currently not available for this article.