Characteristics of the GPCOG, a screening tool for cognitive impairment.
BACKGROUND
Early dementia diagnosis is aided by the use of brief screening tests; scores can be biased by patient and informant characteristics such as age, gender and education.


OBJECTIVE
To assess whether the General Practitioner's Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG), a brief screening tool for detecting cognitive impairment comprising a patient cognitive test and questions to an informant, is biased by patient and informant characteristics.


METHODS
Sixty-seven general practitioners recruited consecutive patients (with informants). Patients were subsequently assessed by a research psychologist, and DSM-IV diagnoses assigned following a case-conference.


METHODS
Primary Care.


METHODS
Two hundred and eighty three home-dwelling individuals, 11.3% of whom were aged 50-74 years with suspected memory problems and the rest aged 75 or more.


METHODS
The GPCOG, Cambridge Mental Disorder of the Elderly Examination cognitive scale (CAMCOG), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the SF-12 Health Survey (SF-12) were administered and demographic data were collected and consensus DSM-IV diagnoses of dementia made. Relationships between patient and informant characteristics and the GPCOG measure were examined using Pearson correlations and linear regression analyses.


RESULTS
There were correlations in GPCOG-patient scores with age, education and depression scores but on regression analysis only age was associated with the GPCOG-patient section. The GPCOG-informant section was free of bias.


CONCLUSIONS
The GPCOG has advantages for use in primary care and is free of many biases common in other scales.
Brodaty
Henry
H
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia. h.brodaty@unsw.edu.au
Kemp
Nicola M
NM
Low
Lee-Fay
LF
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales