Researchers in the Netherlands conducted a study to evaluate the validity of a simple telephone survey widely used to screen for dementia. The survey, known as the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status, has proved valid among patients in memory clinics and symptomatic residents in retirement communities. Abdulrahman et al’s study was unique in that it was administered to primary care patients who had been enrolled in a dementia prevention trial that ended four years earlier. All participants in this TICS screening study were free of dementia at the end of the previous trial.
TICS includes 11 survey questions assessing several cognitive domains including orientation, attention, memory impairment, language, ability to plan, organize and carry out actions, and mathematical skills. Responses are then scored, with final results ranging from 0 to 41 points. A score of less than 30 represents a positive screen for dementia.
In the population studied, the TICS survey performed well as a low-cost diagnostic screening instrument for detecting dementia in at-risk populations in the family medicine setting. TICS could also contribute to more efficient dementia-related medical management. Additionally, the researchers suggest that the tool may be particularly useful when face-to-face diagnostic screening is not feasible.
Diagnostic Accuracy of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status for the Detection of Dementia in Primary Care
Herrer Abdulrahman, MD, et al
Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
https://www.doi.org/10.1370/afm.2768
The Annals of Family Medicine