Preliminary evaluation of a scale to assess cognitive function in adults with XXXX : the Prudhoe Cognitive Function Test.

@entity1 @entity146 @entity303 @entity73 @entity1467 @entity717
BACKGROUND: In the clinical diagnosis of @entity303 in @entity1467 ( @entity1467 ), it may be difficult to distinguish between @entity73 and the various degrees of pre-existing @entity717 ( @entity717 ). Serial measurements of both cognitive function and behaviour are required. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of non-demented adults with @entity1467 on a subject-directed instrument, the Prudhoe Cognitive Function Test (PCFT), preliminary to its serial use in a prospective study. METHODS: From 1985 to 1986, 85 non-demented hospitalized adults with @entity1467 were interviewed using the PCFT. The @entity146 ( @entity146 ) was administered to the carers. The subjects' levels of @entity717 (graded from mild through moderate, severe and profound to untestable) were based on their scores on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, as reported in the medical records, and the relationship between level of disability and performance on the PCFT and @entity146 , and their respective domains, was examined. RESULTS: Both scales produced a wide range of scores and the correlation between them was highly significant. Both scales correlated highly significantly with the degree of @entity717 , but more subjects with high levels (i.e. profound to untestable) of disability obtained very low or zero scores on the PCFT and its domains than on the @entity146 . CONCLUSIONS: The PCFT provides a reliable quantitative measure of cognitive function in subjects with @entity1467 , and could be a useful adjunct to the diagnosis of @entity303 in prospective studies. However, the almost uniformly low scores obtained by those with high levels of @entity717 suggests that its power to detect @entity73 will be limited to those who are less disabled, while the @entity146 may be more useful than the PCFT in detecting deterioration in @entity1 with profound @entity717 .
