A concise instrument for screening cognitive impairment: validation in a geriatric population.

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Cognitive Neurology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) is a widely used brief screening tool for cognitive impairment in older adults.
• Validating and adapting the SPMSQ for the Turkish population is crucial for its effective use in local clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the SPMSQ.
• To determine optimal cut-off values for dementia screening using the Turkish SPMSQ.
• To compare the performance of the Turkish SPMSQ with the Standardised Mini Mental State Examination (SMMSE).

Main Methods:

• Consecutive enrollment of patients aged 65 years and older.
• Translation and cultural adaptation of the SPMSQ and SMMSE for the Turkish population.
• Administration of both the Turkish SPMSQ and SMMSE to assess cognitive status.
• ROC curve analysis to determine diagnostic accuracy and optimal cut-off points.

Main Results:

• The Turkish SPMSQ demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for dementia, with an overall optimal cut-off of ≥4 errors (AUC: 0.949).
• Optimal cut-off points varied by education level: ≥4 errors for ≤5 years of education (AUC: 0.933) and ≥3 errors for >5 years (AUC: 0.997).
• The SPMSQ showed a significant positive correlation with SMMSE scores and was not statistically inferior in diagnostic performance (AUC: 0.947 for SMMSE).

Conclusions:

• The Turkish SPMSQ is a reliable and valid instrument for screening dementia in older adults.
• The SPMSQ is a viable alternative to the SMMSE, offering comparable performance.
• The SPMSQ can be effectively implemented in primary care and geriatric settings as a rapid cognitive screening tool, accommodating diverse educational backgrounds.