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Performance of the dementia severity rating scale: a caregiver questionnaire for rating severity in Alzheimer disease
Clark CM, Ewbank DC.. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders, 1996-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The Dementia Severity Rating Scale (DSRS) is an informant-based, multiple-choice questionnaire that assesses severity from the mildest to the most severe stages in the major functional and cognitive domains affected in Alzheimer disease (AD). The DSRS has good reliability as measured by making repeated observations over short time periods and by comparing caregiver responses to information collected by a physician or an experienced nonphysician research associate. The measure correlates favorably with the Washington University Clinical Dementia Rating scale and with standard cognitive testing measures. The DSRS provides a simple, valid, and sensitive measure of impairment associated with AD. It is ideally suited for multisite collaborative studies and can be implemented with a minimum of staff time and training.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Clark, C. M., & Ewbank, D. C. (1996). Performance of the dementia severity rating scale: a caregiver questionnaire for rating severity in Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders. https://doi.org/10.1097/00002093-199601010-00006
Vancouver
Clark CM, Ewbank DC. Performance of the dementia severity rating scale: a caregiver questionnaire for rating severity in Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders. 1996. doi:10.1097/00002093-199601010-00006. PMID: 8919494.
BibTeX
@article{clark1996-8919494,
author = {Clark, C. M. and Ewbank, D. C.},
title = {{Performance of the dementia severity rating scale: a caregiver questionnaire for rating severity in Alzheimer disease}},
journal = {Alzheimer disease and associated disorders},
year = {1996},
doi = {10.1097/00002093-199601010-00006},
pmid = {8919494},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/00002093-199601010-00006}
}
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Key findings
- The DSRS provides a simple, valid, and sensitive measure of impairment associated with AD.
Why it matters
This paper describes a caregiver questionnaire called the Dementia Severity Rating Scale that rates Alzheimer's disease severity from mild to severe. It is a measurement tool for research and care, not a treatment or cure.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 40/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer disease and associated disorders) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders: journal h-index 131 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1996 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 225 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.0 citations a year over 32 year(s) since 1996 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 16 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 28 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Douglas C. Ewbank: h-index 22 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Pennsylvania: institution h-index 1,859 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 8919494) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 40 / 100 | — |
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