Development of a cognitive screening instrument for tribal elderly population of Himalayan region in northern India
Introduction: Cognitive impairment, characteristic of dementia, is measured objectively by standard neuropsychological (cognitive) tests. Given the diversity of culture and language in India, it is difficult to use a single modified version of MMSE uniformly to Indian population. In this article, we...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
2013-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/0976-3147.112744 |
| Summary: | Introduction: Cognitive impairment, characteristic of dementia, is measured objectively by standard neuropsychological (cognitive) tests. Given the diversity of culture and language in India, it is difficult to use a single modified version of MMSE uniformly to Indian population. In this article, we report methods on the development of a cognitive screening instrument suitable for the tribal (Bharmour) elderly (60 years and above) population of Himachal Pradesh, India. Materials and Methods: We used a systematic, item‑by‑item, process for development of a modified version of MMSE suitable for elderly tribal population. Results: The modifications made in the English version of MMSE and the pretesting and pilot testing thereof resulted in the development of Bharmouri version of cognitive scale. Discussion: The study shows that effective modifications can be made to existing tests that require reading and writing; and that culturally sensitive modifications can be made to render the test meaningful and relevant, while still tapping the appropriate cognitive domains. |
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| ISSN: | 0976-3147 0976-3155 |