Tele-neuropsychological assessment tools in Italy: a systematic review on psychometric properties and usability

Zanin, Elia; Aiello, Edoardo Nicolò; Diana, Lorenzo; Fusi, Giulia; Bonato, Mario; Niang, Aida; Ognibene, Francesca; Corvaglia, Alessia; De, Carmen; Cintoli, Simona; Marchetti, Giulia; Vestri, Alec

doi:10.1007/s10072-021-05719-9

Cited by 23 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 79 publications

(85 reference statements)

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“…Although several TBCS tools for the assessment of global cognitive status have been developed in recent years [6], no standardized test selectively screening executive functions is available, especially in Italy [13,14]. Indeed, fully standardized Italian TBCS tests are currently limited to multi-domain screening tests for global cognition [2,15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, subclinical or mild dysexecutive features are highly prevalent in healthy elderlies due to the anatomo-functional changes of frontal networks resulting from physiological aging [18,19], which were shown to negatively impact on daily living functional outcomes [17]. Screening for executive dysfunctions is thus crucial in both neurology and geriatrics, and the availability of standardized TBCS tests for frontalexecutive dysfunctions should be part of telemedicine [14], especially when dealing with elderly clinical populations. Indeed, aging individuals often come with a range of frailties that would prevent or delay their access to outpatient in-person clinics, due to both logistical (e.g., motor disabilities) and health safety reasons (e.g., an increase exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection) [3,8,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Screening for executive dysfunctions is thus crucial in both neurology and geriatrics, and the availability of standardized TBCS tests for frontalexecutive dysfunctions should be part of telemedicine [14], especially when dealing with elderly clinical populations. Indeed, aging individuals often come with a range of frailties that would prevent or delay their access to outpatient in-person clinics, due to both logistical (e.g., motor disabilities) and health safety reasons (e.g., an increase exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection) [3,8,14]. Such instruments would be also useful to be adopted as outcome measures/endpoints within large-scale studies or decentralized clinical trials in neurological and geriatric populations with frontal-executive impairments [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…a backward digit span (BDS) task[32] (HP subsample of N = 270: 110 males, 160 females; age: 47.24 ± 18.33 years, 18-96; education: 13.67 ± 3.63 years,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]…”

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confidence: 99%

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Telephone-based Frontal Assessment Battery (t-FAB): standardization for the Italian population and clinical usability in neurological diseases

et al. 2022

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Background Despite the relevance of telephone-based cognitive screening tests in clinical practice and research, no specific test assessing executive functioning is available. The present study aimed at standardizing and providing evidence of clinical usability for the Italian telephone-based Frontal Assessment Battery (t-FAB). Methods The t-FAB (ranging 0–12), comprising two subtests, has two versions: one requiring motor responses (t-FAB-M) and the other verbal responses (t-FAB-V). Three hundred and forty-six Italian healthy adults (HPs; 143 males; age range = 18–96 years; education range = 4–23 years) and 40 participants with neurological diseases were recruited. To HPs, the t-FAB was administered along with a set of telephone-based tests: MMSE, verbal fluency (VF), backward digit span (BDS). The in-person version of the FAB was administered to both HPs and clinical groups. Factorial structure, construct validity, inter-rater and test–retest reliability, t-FAB-M vs. t-FAB-V equivalence and diagnostic accuracy were assessed. Norms were derived via Equivalent Scores. Results In HPs, t-FAB measures yielded high inter-rater/test–retest reliability (ICC = .78–.94), were internally related (p ≤ .005) and underpinned by a single component, converging with the telephone-based MMSE, VF, BDS (p ≤ .0013). The two t-FAB versions were statistically equivalent in clinical groups (ps of both equivalence bounds < .001). Education predicted all t-FAB scores (p < .001), whereas age only the t-FAB-M score (p ≤ .004). t-FAB scores converge with the in-person FAB in HPs and clinical groups (rs = .43–.78). Both t-FAB versions were accurate in discriminating HPs from the clinical cohort (AUC = .73-.76). Discussion The t-FAB is a normed, valid, reliable and clinically usable telephone-based cognitive screening test to adopt in both clinical and research practice.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Telephone-based Frontal Assessment Battery (t-FAB): standardization for the Italian population and clinical usability in neurological diseases

et al. 2022

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“…Telephone-based cognitive assessment is relevant to clinical (e.g., for not-viable/-preferable access to clinics due to logistical, geographical, economical or health safety reasons; Christodoulou et al, 2016 ; Caze et al, 2020 ; De Cola et al, 2020 ; Soldati et al, 2021 ) and experimental telemedicine (e.g., population-based/epidemiological studies, decentralized clinical trials and prevention campaigns; Crooks et al, 2005 ; Yaari et al, 2006 ; Herr and Ankri, 2013 ). However, function-specific telephone-based tests often do not meet rigorous statistical-methodological standards, especially within the Italian context ( Zanin et al, 2022 ). Moreover, so far, standardized telephone-based cognitive assessment tools in Italy are limited to screening tests for the assessment of global cognitive status ( Aiello et al, 2022a , d , e ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Italian telephone-based Verbal Fluency Battery (t-VFB): standardization and preliminary clinical usability evidence

et al. 2022

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BackgroundThis study aimed at standardizing and providing preliminary evidence on the clinical usability of the Italian telephone-based Verbal Fluency Battery (t-VFB), which includes phonemic (t-PVF), semantic (t-SVF) and alternate (t-AVF) verbal fluency tasks.MethodsThree-hundred and thirty-five Italian healthy participants (HPs; 140 males; age range = 18–96 years; education range = 4–23 years) and 27 individuals with neurodegenerative or cerebrovascular diseases were administered the t-VFB. Switch number and cluster size were computed via latent semantic analyses. HPs underwent the telephone-based Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Backward Digit Span (BDS). Construct validity, factorial structure, internal consistency, test-retest and inter-rater reliability and equivalence with the in-person Verbal Fluency tasks were assessed. Norms were derived via Equivalent Scores. Diagnostic accuracy against clinical populations was assessed.ResultsThe majority of t-VFB scores correlated among each other and with the BDS, but not with the MMSE. Switch number correlated with t-PVF, t-SVF, t-AVF scores, whilst cluster size with the t-SVF and t-AVF scores only. The t-VFB was underpinned by a mono-component structure and was internally consistent (Cronbach’s α = 0.91). Test-retest (ICC = 0.69–0.95) and inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.98–1) were optimal. Each t-VFB test was statistically equivalent to its in-person version (equivalence bounds yielding a p < 0.05). Education predicted all t-VFB scores, whereas age t-SVF and t-AVF scores and sex only some t-SVF scores. Diagnostic accuracy against clinical samples was optimal (AUC = 0.81–0.86).DiscussionThe t-VFB is a valid, reliable and normed telephone-based assessment tool for language and executive functioning, equivalent to the in-person version; results show promising evidence of its diagnostic accuracy in neurological populations.

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Validity and reliability of a Chinese version of the self‐evaluation of negative symptoms

Chen

Tian

et al. 2023

Brain and Behavior

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The negative symptoms of schizophrenia can be present at any clinical stage, but evaluating the negative symptoms always remains challenging. To screen the negative symptoms effectively, self‐evaluation should be introduced. To date, professional psychiatrists used almost all of the scales available to screen the negative symptoms but could not obtain an accurate outcome. At the same time, an advanced self‐assessment scale is needed to accompany the patients’ self‐feeling‐based treatment strategies to understand their feelings about their symptoms. Hence, Chinese self‐evaluation of negative symptoms (SNS) should be introduced in China. This study aims to examine the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of SNS. Two hundred patients with schizophrenia were included in this study and were evaluated entirely with the self‐assessed negative symptoms by the Chinese version. The correlation analysis was performed between SNS and the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) to assess the criterion validity of SNS for screening negative symptoms. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the constructive validity of the SNS. Two senior professional psychiatrists were involved in this assessment based on their clinical experience and capability to define the severity of the negative symptoms. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the cutoff point of SNS. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation (ICC) coefficient were used to determine the reliability of SNS. We have the following findings: The Chinese version of SNS demonstrated a significant correlation with the SANS ( r = .774, p < .05). Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that the factor loading varies from .442 to .788. ROC analysis demonstrated that at SNS ≥ 8, the patients demonstrated a mild severity of negative symptoms, and at SNS ≥ 15, the patients demonstrated a severe severity of negative symptoms. Subsequently, 9 < SNS < 14 was defined as a moderate severity of negative symptoms. The Cronbach's alpha and ICC coefficients of the Chinese version SNS were .877 and .774, respectively. Our results showed that the acceptable validity and reliability of the Chinese version of SNS confirmed that SNS is an ideal tool for self‐assessment of the negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

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Tele-neuropsychological assessment tools in Italy: a systematic review on psychometric properties and usability

Cited by 23 publications

References 79 publications

Telephone-based Frontal Assessment Battery (t-FAB): standardization for the Italian population and clinical usability in neurological diseases

Telephone-based Frontal Assessment Battery (t-FAB): standardization for the Italian population and clinical usability in neurological diseases

The Italian telephone-based Verbal Fluency Battery (t-VFB): standardization and preliminary clinical usability evidence

Validity and reliability of a Chinese version of the self‐evaluation of negative symptoms

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