The Self Test: a screening tool for dementia requiring minimal supervision.
BACKGROUND
The main purpose of this study was to correlate a newly developed, simple, but comprehensive screening test for dementia called the Self Test (ST) with the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), and establish the reliability and validity of the ST.


METHODS
The ST was administered to 42 consecutive new referrals to the memory clinic at the Cole Neuroscience Center, University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC), Knoxville, TN, U.S.A. and 41 age-matched control subjects at regular intervals over a 12-month period.


RESULTS
The total ST scores correlated well with cognitive severity as measured by the MMSE (r = 0.71, p < 0.01). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROCC) in the group of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) with less than a high school education was 0.80, and 0.89 in those with at least a high school education. Reliability analysis showed a mean inter-item correlation of 0.31 for patients with AD, and 0.47 for normal participants. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to be 0.70 for the AD group. Test-retest reliability was determined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC = 0.93, p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The ST is an internally consistent, reliable and valid screening test for cognitive impairment in persons exhibiting early symptoms of dementia. In addition, the ST requires minimal nonprofessional supervision and may be administered by an untrained person.
de Leonni Stanonik
Mateja
M
The University of Tennessee Medical Center, Cole Neuroscience Center, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA. mstanoni@tennessee.edu
Licata
Charles A
CA
Walton
Norman C
NC
Lounsbury
John W
JW
Hutson
R Kent
RK
Dougherty
John H
JH
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires