Video Teleconference Administration of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status

Abstract

Teleneuropsychology applications are growing, but a limited number of assessment tools have been studied in this context. The present investigation was designed to determine the feasibility and reliability of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) administration by comparing video teleconference (VTC) with face-to-face (FF) test conditions. Eighteen adult subjects over age 55 with and without cognitive impairment were administered Forms A and B of the RBANS in VTC and FF settings in counterbalanced fashion. Similar RBANS scores were obtained in both test conditions, with generally high correlations between administration methods. Results support the feasibility and reliability of remote administration of the RBANS via VTC.

A narrative review of the evidence regarding the use of telemedicine to deliver video‐interpreting during dementia assessments for older people

“…Agreement is a measure of how similar results are between repeated measures, while reliability is defined as how well individual patients are distinguishable from each despite measurement errors (de Vet, Terwee, Knol, & Bouter, ). Eleven papers were found that measured agreement and reliability of neurocognitive assessments administered by TM compared with either FTF or telephone methods (Castanho et al, ; Cullum et al, ; Cullum et al, ; Galusha‐Glasscock et al, ; Grosch et al, ; Loh et al, ; Loh, Donaldson, Flicker, Maher, & Goldswain, ; Martin‐Khan et al, ; McEachern, Kirk, Morgan, Crossley, & Henry, ; Wadsworth et al, ; Wong, Martin‐Khan, Rowland, Varghese, & Gray, ). The most common neurocognitive assessments administered in these studies include MMSE (Castanho et al, ; Cullum et al, ; Cullum et al, ; Galusha‐Glasscock et al, ; Grosch et al, ; Loh et al, ; Loh et al, ; Martin‐Khan et al, ; McEachern et al, ; Wadsworth et al, ), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) (Loh et al, ; Loh et al, ), and RUDAS (Martin‐Khan et al, ; Wong et al, ).…”

Diagnosis of cognitive decline and dementia in rural areas — A scoping review

“…The administration of the repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status (RBANS) in video teleconference (VTC) and FTF conditions was compared in another American study . The RBANS Form A and B was counterbalanced across the 2 testing conditions, and order of administration was decided a priori in alternating fashion.…”

“…Most of the studies included in this category (see Table 3) originate from the USA (n = 10). [27][28][29][30][31]35,36,41,43 Four included studies are from Australia, 33,34,39,40 3 from Canada, 32,38,42 and one study has been conducted in Portugal. 26…”

The Impact of the Virtual Cognitive Health Program on the Cognition and Mental Health of Older Adults: Pre-Post 12-Month Pilot Study (Preprint)

“…[21][22][23] Upon completion of the baseline assessment, participants were scheduled to complete a 30-minute baseline Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) test. 24 A licensed psychologist used video-teleconferencing to administer the RBANS test to potential participants (The Echelon Group; Woodstock, GA). The validity of digitally-administered neuropsychological tests, including RBANS, have been supported by multiple studies.…”

“…The validity of digitally-administered neuropsychological tests, including RBANS, have been supported by multiple studies. [24][25][26][27] After completing the RBANS test, participants began an initial VC Health coaching session over the phone with a program coach. Individuals were considered enrolled in the VC Health study once this initial coaching session was complete.…”