Assessment of memory function: the relation between daily observation and neuropsychological test performance

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Neuropsychology
• Nursing Assessment

Background:

• Assessing memory function in geriatric patients is crucial.
• Nurses play a key role in daily patient observation.
• Identifying reliable tools for memory assessment in clinical settings is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of a daily observation scale for assessing nurses' perception of memory function in geriatric inpatients.
• To determine the correlation between nurses' memory ratings and standardized neuropsychological tests.

Main Methods:

• An observational study involving 50 geriatric inpatients.
• Utilized the Nurses' Behavioral Rating Scale for Geriatric Inpatients (GIP) for memory assessment.
• Correlated GIP memory scores with four neuropsychological tests (VAT, 8WT, RBMT Route Recall, RBMT Story Recall) and dementia scales (MMSE, CDR, GDS-15).

Main Results:

• Significant correlations (0.45–0.71, p < 0.01) were found between GIP memory items and neuropsychological tests.
• GIP showed moderate correlations with the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) (0.63, p < 0.01) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) (0.46, p < 0.01).
• Patients with dementia had significantly different GIP memory scores compared to non-demented patients (p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• A daily observation scale, like the GIP, can provide valuable insights into memory impairments in geriatric patients.
• Nurses' observations using such scales can aid in the diagnostic process and patient triage.
• This approach supports identifying patients who may benefit from further neuropsychological evaluation.