The reliability of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment using telehealth in a rural setting with veterans

作者：Nathaniel J. DeYoung, Brian V. Shenal · 发表于：Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare · 年份：2018 · DOI：10.1177/1357633x17752030 · 被引用次数：65 · 研究领域：Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation、Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research、Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery

BACKGROUND: Telehealth neuropsychological services can increase the availability of specialised care for individuals in rural areas where barriers to these services are faced. As this practice becomes more commonplace, the reliability and validity of neuropsychological assessment administered by telehealth continues to be established. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a screener for general neurocognitive dysfunction, may be particularly useful since this measure can be given by telehealth with minimal adaptation. METHODS: Veterans from a rural area of the country who were referred to an outpatient neuropsychology clinic were administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment either in-person or by telehealth by a clinician. A second clinician observed the administration in-person or by telehealth and independently scored the each participant's performance. The inter-rater reliabilities across conditions were compared to assess for differences between in-person and telehealth consultations. RESULTS: The inter-rater reliability of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment across the three conditions of interest was acceptably high and values ranged from r = 0.88 to r = 0.98. Reliability correlations were compared and no significant differences among the conditions were observed ( p's > 0.10). Beyond reliability, univariate comparison of the absolute mean differences of clinician scores showed no significant differences among the actual raw scores of the three conditions tested, indicatin...