"Telepsychometry": a remote psychometry consultation in clinical gerontology: preliminary study.
OBJECTIVE
Evaluation of the clinical feasibility of remote psychometric consultation with elderly patients.


METHODS
Remote consultation with six women and four men (average age 87) was compared with a standard consultation. An interview and two psychometric tests were used: the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) and the Clock Face Test (CFT), which were administered by a clinical psychologist and controlled by a psychologist observer who remained in the room with the patient. The experimental setting consisted of two rooms linked by a coaxial cable. Each room was equipped with a camera, television screen, and microphone. The clinician was able to operate the mobile camera in the patient's room by remote control. The clinician was assisted by a computer, which helped to focus on standardized points. A video camera recorded the consultation for documentation purposes.


RESULTS
Decreased performance was observed in the remote versus the standard consultation for both tests (MMSE: p = 0.008; CFT: p = 0.006). Physiologic hearing loss may have been responsible for a fall in the patients' attention.


CONCLUSIONS
Remote psychometric consultation can be applied successfully to the psychological examination of elderly patients provided that communication problems are solved.
Montani
C
C
L12G, Laboratoire Inter Universitaire de Gérontologie de Grenoble, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, France.
Billaud
N
N
Couturier
P
P
Fluchaire
I
I
Lemaire
R
R
Malterre
C
C
Lauvernay
N
N
Piquard
J F
JF
Frossard
M
M
Franco
A
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D019114:Remote Consultation