Validation of the quick cognitive screening test

Reports in the literature suggest that 70% to 80% of cognitive deficits with probable organic basis are undetected in patients at risk, especially if symptoms are minimal. Studies have shown that clinically convenient beside screening tests show low sensitivity with a high rate of false-negative results. The purpose of this study was to validate a sensitive mid-range cognitive screening test to detect cognitive deficits, including those not usually identified by bedside mental status examinations. The Quick Cognitive Screening Test (QCST) was initially developed and subsequently adapted from original unpublished work by the late John McFie. The test was designed to detect global cognitive dysfunction and specific areas of cognitive dysfunction. Areas assessed included orientation, attention and concentration, memory, language, construction, perception, spatial ability, and abstract reasoning. Scoring is multidimensional, each subtest having a score, plus summary and global scores. Thirty-eight neurological patients with a cerebrovascular accident, traumatic brain injury, and other miscellaneous diagnoses, were recruited from a tertiary care center for physical rehabilitation. Fifteen residents from a psychiatric rehabilitation center were also recruited. Thirty-two healthy volunteers from the community served as age-matched controls. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) was used to establish reliability and validity of the QCST. The National Adult Reading Test (NART) was used to estimate premorbid intellectual functioning. Results showed that the QCST identified cognitive impairment in all of the neurological and psychiatric patients assessed. Oneway analyses of variance of five summary scores showed significant differences between the groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)