On 11 March, a team led by researchers from the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) at University of California in San Diego reported results from a clinical trial evaluating different home-based methods for monitoring and measuring cognitive function. Findings were published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.
The four-year study is a randomised clinical trial evaluating three methods of performing home-based assessments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevention. Almost 600 people over 75 years old with normal cognitive abilities and mild cognitive impairment participated in the home-based assessment study. The assessment methods used were 1) mail-in questionnaires with live telephone interviews, 2) automated telephone calls with an interactive voice recognition and 3) internet-based computer technology, using a kiosk interface installed at the participants’ homes.
The team reported that all three methods were feasible (ability to recruit, screen, enrol and retain participants). Dropout rates were low and similar across technologies but participants who had kiosk tools installed in their homes were more likely to dropout earlier. Staff resources (number of staff and time spent per participant) were significantly higher for the kiosk group. At the end of the study, all in-home instruments distinguished cognitively conversion and stable groups. Internet-based assessments were less efficient compared with testing by live assessors.