Standardizing Identification of Cognitive Impairment in the Acute Hospital Setting: Toward a Common Language

Although many hospitals universally screen their patients for functional mobility and activity impairment, there is no common method to do this for cognitive impairment. Establishing an interdisciplinary and standardized process to screen for cognitive impairment is essential for early identification of impairments, optimization of patients' function, and safe discharge planning. Previously, the reliability and validity of the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care Applied Cognitive Inpatient Short Form "6-Clicks" (AM-PAC ACISF) were measured among occupational therapy practitioners and speech-language pathologists; however, its reliability among other team members, specifically nurses, is unknown. This study reports the interprofessional interrater reliability of the AM-PAC ACISF in the acute care hospital setting.

To examine the nursing-therapist interrater reliability of the AM-PAC ACISF in the acute care hospital setting.

A prospective study using a convenience sample.

Acute care hospital.

Fifty adult patients, six nurses, five occupational therapy practitioners, and one speech-language pathologist.

Interrater reliability for the AM-PAC ACISF among therapists and nurses.

Interrater reliability was good among nurses and therapists, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of .88 (95% confidence interval [.79, .93]) for the AM-PAC ACISF.

Findings suggest that the AM-PAC ACISF is reliable for use among interdisciplinary teams, helps to establish a common language for early identification of cognitive impairment, and can be used for guiding clinical discussions around patient cognition in the acute care setting. Plain-Language Summary: Having an interdisciplinary and standardized process to screen patients early for cognitive impairment is essential for identifying impairments, optimizing patients' function, and facilitating safe discharge planning in the acute care setting. Early identification of cognitive impairment by the interdisciplinary team can also allow for timely occupational therapy and other rehabilitation service interventions. The findings of this study suggest that the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care Applied Cognitive Inpatient Short Form "6-Clicks" (AM-PAC ACISF) can reliably be used by interdisciplinary teams, establishes a common language for early identification of cognitive impairment, and can be used for guiding clinical discussions around patient cognition in the acute care setting.