Diagnostic accuracy of a new case‐finding tool for dementia in primary care: The Brief Assessment of Impaired Cognition Questionnaire (BASIC‐Q)

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of the project was to examine the diagnostic accuracy of BASIC‐Q (Brief Assessment of Impaired Cognition Questionnaire), a questionnaire‐based tool for detection of dementia in a community setting. Community health care professionals often see citizens who are older and therefore in risk of developing dementia or having undetected dementia. BASIC‐Q is an easy and quick (≤5 min) conversation‐based tool to be used to support community health care professionals when observing signs of dementia.MethodThe project has been carried out in collaboration with 14 general practices in Denmark in the period October 2021‐October 2022. Patients ≥ 70 years with appointment in the clinic for any given reason, were invited to participate in the study. The general practitioner or the nurse at the clinic administered BASIC‐Q ‐ consisting of four questions about orientation and three questions regarding the participants memory for both the participant and a close relative. Subsequently the participant participated in a structured telephone interview and an extended cognitive testing. Among other, the extended testing consisted of RBANS (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status) that together with an IADL‐evaluation (instrumental activities of daily living) and GDS‐15 (15‐item geriatric depression scale) was used as gold standard for classification of cognitive status when analyzing the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of BASIC‐Q.ResultThe mean age of the total of 275 participants was 77.7 years, of which 148 were women (52.9%) and 127 were men (46.1%). Of the participants 142 (51.6%) showed no evidence of cognitive impairment, 33 (12%) showed evidence of affective disorder, and 82 (29.8%) showed indications of cognitive impairment. 18 participants (6.5%) could not be classified and were not included in the analyses.ConclusionBASIC‐Q is a quantifiable indicator of cognitive function. BASIC‐Q can be used as an assistive tool when health care professionals observe signs of dementia and need to decide whether to intervene.Preliminary analyses indicate that BASIC‐Q is a reliable tool for the detection of possible dementia in primary health care. The analyses of results are still ongoing and more results regarding the BASIC‐Q’s diagnostic accuracy will follow.