Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Gerontology and Cognitive Neurology
• Healthcare Professional Education and Training
• Clinical Assessment and Diagnostics

Background:

• Standardized cognitive assessment is crucial for diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease, monitoring progression, and evaluating treatment efficacy.
• Current cognitive testing practices often lack standardization, appropriate population targeting, and suitable settings, compromising validity.
• The Cognitive Assessment Tools (CAT) workshop offers virtual, small-group training on standardized administration and interpretation of key cognitive tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, virtual delivery format for the Cognitive Assessment Tools (CAT) workshop.
• To assess changes in healthcare professionals' self-perceived competency in cognitive assessment following the virtual workshop.
• To determine the impact of the workshop on knowledge regarding the appropriate use, selection, administration, scoring, and interpretation of cognitive tests.

Main Methods:

• A virtual, half-day, interactive, small-group Cognitive Assessment Tools (CAT) workshop was delivered.
• Participants (n=53) completed pre- and post-workshop surveys measuring self-perceived competency on a 7-point scale.
• Paired t-tests were used to analyze changes in competency scores for specific cognitive tests and overall understanding.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements (p < 0.001) were observed in self-reported competency for all assessed cognitive tests: Standardized Mini-Mental Status Exam (sMMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA®), Trail Making Test (TMT), Clock Drawing Test (CDT), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).
• Participants demonstrated significant gains in understanding the purpose of cognitive assessments (mean difference = 1.15, p < 0.001) and selecting appropriate tools (mean difference = 2.21, p < 0.001).
• The workshop attracted diverse healthcare professionals (56% nursing, 9% social work, etc.), with 94% recommending it to colleagues.

Conclusions:

• The virtual CAT workshop effectively enhances healthcare workers' self-reported competency in cognitive assessment selection, administration, scoring, and interpretation.
• The training program is well-received and beneficial for a multidisciplinary range of healthcare and social care professionals.
• Virtual delivery of the CAT workshop provides a scalable and effective solution for improving cognitive assessment skills in clinical practice.