VADEC program: Cognitive impairment (CI) assessment in Spain

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundAnalyze the controversies in diagnosis and neuropsychological approach of patients with CI. Achieve a consensus of Good Clinical Practice Guidelines (GCPG) that stablish which cognitive tests are suitable.MethodVADEC program is based on Delphi Methodology in order to reach to a consensus about diagnostic criteria and cognitive assessment scales more suitable in CI, and its relationship with epidemiologic and diagnostic guidelines or bibliographic sources published. The specific questionnaire was completed by neurologists specialized in dementia in Spain. It was proposed many items or questions (1‐9 scores), and decide the median value, the confidence degree and the group consensus achieved.ResultThe program was developed from 1st June to 31th July 2017. 130 neurologists were involved (21 years of clinical practice) in public system (90.8%). About 38.67 % of patients had CI, 41.15% moderate and 20.18% severe. There was a consensus of using Petersen criteria to define MCI as a syndrome. MMSE is considered the most useful tool, followed by Clock Drawing test (CDT), Friedman or MOCA test. It´s necessary to have more information, over all in DSM‐V, and the convenience of elaborating a GCPG which harmonized MCI criteria.ConclusionThere was a great consensus about using MMSE or MEC test. There was a wide consensus about the utility of MoCA, CDT and Friedman test. These results express the necessity of GCPG in CI about the use of cognitive test in Spain.