Feasibility and Psychometric Integrity of Mobile Phone-Based Intensive Measurement of Cognition in Older Adults.

Background:There is a pressing need for assessment approaches that can be deployed remotely to measure cognitive outcomes in clinical trials and longitudinal aging cohorts. We evaluated the utility of a mobile phone-based intensive measurement study for this purpose. Method:A small cohort of healthy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental Aging Research Vol. 47; no. 4; pp. 303 - 322
Main Authors: Brewster, Paul W. H., Rush, Jonathan, Ozen, Lana, Vendittelli, Rebecca, Hofer, Scott M.
Format: pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Jul-Sep2021
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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Summary:Background:There is a pressing need for assessment approaches that can be deployed remotely to measure cognitive outcomes in clinical trials and longitudinal aging cohorts. We evaluated the utility of a mobile phone-based intensive measurement study for this purpose. Method:A small cohort of healthy older adults (N = 17, mean age = 73) completed five assessment "bursts" over 12 months, with each measurement burst involving two assessments daily for five consecutive days. Each assessment included brief tests of visual short-term memory and information processing speed, as well as surveys measuring state factors that can affect cognition. Results:At study endpoint we had 94% retention, 97% compliance, and high participant satisfaction. Mobile cognitive test scores demonstrated good reliability, moderate correlations with in-person baseline neuropsychological testing, and significant associations with participant age and education level. Conclusions: Mobile phone-based intensive measurement designs represent a promising assessment approach for measuring cognition longitudinally in older adults.