Is Montreal Cognitive Assessment for cognitive screening accurate in diverse populations? Study sheds light
USA: A recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has pointed out the inappropriately high current Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in a culturally/linguistically diverse urban setting, leading to a high false-positive rate.
The researchers revealed that lower English and Spanish MoCA cutpoints may improve diagnostic accuracy for identifying cognitive impairment in this group. This highlights the need for the creation and validation of accurate cognitive screeners for linguistically and ethnoculturally diverse older adults.
"A screening tool often used in primary care clinics to detect cognitive impairment has shortcomings when applied to ethnically and linguistically diverse older adults," the study stated.
The study looked to see whether currently published English and Spanish cut points for cognitive impairment in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) are appropriate in diverse community-based adults aged 65 years or older with cognitive concerns in the Bronx, New York. There were 231 participants (43% Hispanic, 39% Black/African American); 49% completed testing in English and 51% in Spanish.
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