Introduction:
We describe the development and feasibility of using an online consensus approach for diagnosing cognitive impairment and dementia in rural South Africa.
Methods:
Cognitive assessments, clinical evaluations, and informant interviews from Cognition and Dementia in the Health and Aging in Africa Longitudinal Study (HAALSI Dementia) were reviewed by an expert panel using a web-based platform to assign a diagnosis of cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or dementia.
Results:
Six hundred thirty-five participants were assigned a final diagnostic category, with 298 requiring adjudication conference calls. Overall agreement between each rater’s independent diagnosis and final diagnosis (via the portal or consensus conference) was 78.3%. A moderate level of agreement between raters’ individual ratings and the final diagnostic outcomes was observed (average κ coefficient = 0.50).
Discussion:
Findings show initial feasibility in using an online consensus approach for the diagnosis of cognitive impairment and dementia in remote, rural, and low-resource settings.
Keywords:
Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol; South Africa; clinical decision making; consensus; dementia diagnosis; mild cognitive impairment; population‐based research.