Home › Research › Clinical safety
The use of the Digit Span Test in screening for cognitive impairment in acute medical inpatients
Leung JL, Lee GT, Lam YH, Chan RC, Wu JY.. International psychogeriatrics, 2011-05-17
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background There is no valid instrument currently in use at acute-care hospitals in Hong Kong to aid the detection of cognitive impairment. The objectives of this study were to (1) validate the Digit Span Test (DST) in the identification and differentiation of dementia and delirium; and (2) determine the prevalence of major cognitive impairment in elderly people in an acute medical unit. Methods During the study period from January to February 2010, 144 patients aged 75 years or more who had had unplanned medical admissions were assessed by nurses, using the Digit Span Forwards (DSF) and the Digit Span Backwards (DSB) tests. The DST scores were compared with the psychiatrists' DSM-IV-based diagnoses. Receiver Operating Characteristics curve (ROC) was used in conjunction with sensitivity and specificity measures to assess the performance of DST. Results The prevalence rates of dementia alone, delirium alone and delirium superimposed on dementia were 21.5%, 9% and 9% respectively. The prior case-note documentation rate was 13.2% for dementia and 2.8% for delirium. Regarding the detection of major cognitive impairment, the ROC curve of DSB showed a sensitivity of 0.77 and specificity of 0.78 at the optimal cutoff of <3. A significant association between scores on the DST and the Cantonese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (CMMSE) was found in this study (p < 0.05 for DSF, p = 0.00 for DSB). Conclusions Dementia and delirium were prevalent, yet under-recognized, in acute medical geriatric inpatients. The DSB is an effective tool in identifying patients with major cognitive impairment.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Leung, J. L., Lee, G. T., Lam, Y. H., Chan, R. C., & Wu, J. Y. (2011). The use of the Digit Span Test in screening for cognitive impairment in acute medical inpatients. International psychogeriatrics. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1041610211000792
Vancouver
Leung JL, Lee GT, Lam YH, Chan RC, Wu JY. The use of the Digit Span Test in screening for cognitive impairment in acute medical inpatients. International psychogeriatrics. 2011. doi:10.1017/s1041610211000792. PMID: 21729426.
BibTeX
@article{leung2011-21729426,
author = {Leung, J. L. and Lee, G. T. and Lam, Y. H. and Chan, R. C. and Wu, J. Y.},
title = {{The use of the Digit Span Test in screening for cognitive impairment in acute medical inpatients}},
journal = {International psychogeriatrics},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1017/s1041610211000792},
pmid = {21729426},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1017/s1041610211000792}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- The DST scores were compared with the psychiatrists' DSM-IV-based diagnoses.
- Results The prevalence rates of dementia alone, delirium alone and delirium superimposed on dementia were 21.5%, 9% and 9% respectively.
- A significant association between scores on the DST and the Cantonese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (CMMSE) was found in this study (p < 0.05 for DSF, p = 0.00 for DSB).
Study details
- Participants144
- Effect size21.5%; 13.2%; 2.8%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 28 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 48 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (International psychogeriatrics) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| 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 | 2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 144 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21729426) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 28 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 28 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 48 out of 100. |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Related studies in Clinical safety
Also tagged “mini-mental”
840 studies in the library carry the topic tag “mini-mental”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 840 tagged studies.