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More Research Needed on Virtual Assessment of Cognitive Function

Evidence lacking for accuracy of virtual cognitive assessments for diagnosing dementia, mild cognitive impairment in older adults

WEDNESDAY, May 12, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Three studies comparing videoconference with in-person cognitive assessments demonstrate good reliability and accuracy of virtual cognitive assessments in diagnosing dementia, according to a review published online May 5 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Jennifer A. Watt, M.D. Ph.D., from University of Toronto, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to compare the diagnostic accuracy of virtual and in-person cognitive assessments and tests for diagnosing dementia or mild cognitive impairment.

The researchers found that virtual cognitive assessments could diagnose dementia with good reliability compared with in-person cognitive assessments (two studies). There was 100 percent sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing dementia with videoconference-based cognitive assessments versus in-person cognitive assessments (one study). The most common condition affecting assessment was sensory impairment.

“Although three studies comparing videoconference to in-person cognitive assessments demonstrated good reliability and accuracy of virtual cognitive assessments in diagnosing dementia, we did not identify any studies comparing the accuracy of telephone to in-person cognitive assessments — this represents a critical knowledge gap,” the authors write.

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