title: Combining the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale and the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly to Improve Detection of Dementia in an Arabic-Speaking Population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess whether combining the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) and Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) could improve diagnostic accuracy when screening for dementia in an Arabic-speaking population with low levels of literacy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on data from 225 elderly participant and informant dyads, the screening performances of the two instruments were compared and three methods for combining them--'or', 'and' and 'weighted sum' rules--were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 'weighted sum' method had a significantly better area under the curve value compared to the RUDAS used alone. The 'weighted sum' method and the 'and' rule had the highest specificity, while the 'or' rule had the best sensitivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Harnessing the RUDAS and IQCODE increased diagnostic accuracy when screening for dementia in this study population.
authors.affiliation: Danish Dementia Research Centre, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: T Rune
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Thien Kieu Thi
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Phung
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chaaya
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mackinnon
authors.forename: Gunhild
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Waldemar
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007861:Lebanon; D000067010:Literacy; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires