title: Interrater reliability of clinical ratings and neurocognitive diagnoses in HIV.
abstract: We examined the interrater (IRR) of clinical ratings of neuropsychological (NP) impairment and neurocognitive diagnoses in HIV. Thirty participants with advanced HIV-infection who were enrolled in a multicenter HIV brain banking research project underwent comprehensive NP and neuromedical evaluations. Using a standardized system of guidelines, neuropsychologists from six participating sites independently assigned clinical ratings of NP impairment, as well as multilevel diagnoses reflecting the inferred etiology of the impairments and their effects on everyday functioning. Findings indicated excellent IRR in rating the presence and severity of NP impairment, but overall modest IRR for neurocognitive diagnoses. Not surprisingly, most diagnostic disagreements concerned the etiology of impairments in persons with medical and neuropsychiatric risk factors in addition to HIV.
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Diego, CA 92103, USA. spwoods@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Steven Paul
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: Julie D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Rippeth
authors.forename: Alan B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Frol
authors.forename: Joel K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Vicki M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Soukup
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hinkin
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lazzaretto
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cherner
authors.forename: Thomas D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Marcotte
authors.forename: Benjamin B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Gelman
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morgello
authors.forename: Elyse J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Heaton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index