The Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS): Reliability and validity in a stroke sample

Abstract

AbstractThe Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) is an 11‐item screening test (maximum score=41 points) that was developed for the assessment of cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer's disease who are unwilling or unable to be examined in person. To investigate the 1‐month test‐retest reliablility and validity of the TICS in a stroke sample, we administered it twice by telephone to 36 stroke patients (age = 72.3 ± 8.9; education = 9.7 ± 4.7) and 36 stroke‐free non‐demented control subjects (age = 71.8 ± 6.8; education = 13.1 ± 4.1). Dementia was diagnosed in six stroke patients based on neuropsychological and functional examinations performed during an outpatient visit and the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) was also given. Multiple regression analyses determined that stroke status was significantly related to performance on the TICS (β= −0.26, p = 0.006), while adjusting for demographic variables. Among stroke patients, test‐retest reliability was excellent (r = 0.90, p < 0.001) and performance was significantly correlated with MMSE score (r = 0.86, p <0.001). A TICS cutoff score <25 best distinguished between demented and non‐demented patients; sensitivity (1.00) and specificity (0.83) were excellent and comparable to the sensitivity (0.83) and specificity (0.87) of the MMSE, with dementia defined as a score <24/30. We conclude that the TICS is a reliable mental status test that can provide accurate information regarding cognitive function in stroke patients who cannot be assessed in person.