![]() Recently, the OCS has been shown to be more sensitive to cognitive deficits in acute post-stroke cohorts than both the MoCA and MMSE 7, 11. It covers five core cognitive domains (attention, language, memory, number and praxis) and includes many aphasia- and neglect-friendly subtasks, i.e., through usage of high frequency words and central presentation of items. The OCS is a validated and normed standardized paper-based test that provides a domain-specific cognitive profile for stroke survivors. This tablet-based cognitive assessment tool is a follow-up of the paper-based OCS 10 and was designed to be equally inclusive. The Oxford Cognitive Screen-Plus (OCS-Plus) aims to avoid undue loading of language requirements by emphasizing visual-oriented assessments. The level of language requirements may thus cause interpretation problems and lead to suboptimal tests. Similarly, the language component makes the screens less appropriate in populations with low literacy 6, 7, 8, 9. This inability to separate cognitive impairments is problematic for patient populations characterized by language impairments, such as some patients with stroke and dementia 5. Patients with a language deficit would appear to be impaired on this task, regardless of their underlying attentional capacity. For example, the MoCA’s attention subtask requires participants to verbally repeat sequences of numbers 2. In addition, the MMSE and MoCA contain many subtasks which are meant to assess non-language cognitive functions but are heavily dependent on intact language function. While item response theory analyses have been applied to these assessment tools, in every-day practice they still take a binary approach to cognition by relying on a sum score.Ĭonsequently, the screens are unable to detect subtle or domain-specific impairments due to the lack of subtask normative data and, frequently, the lack of population specific normative subtask cut-offs 3, 4. Sometimes a broad-brush correction for education level is made by slightly adjusting the cut-off value. Traditionally used global screening tools for cognition, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE 1) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA 2), rely on a summated score from subtasks with a single cut-off value for obvious impairment, irrespective of age. One of the key challenges in assessing cognitive dysfunction is to detect not only obvious impairment, but to also pick up on subtle impairments in different cognitive domains. The OCS-Plus will be available as an Android App and provides an automated report of domain-general cognitive impairments in executive attention and memory. ![]() The OCS-Plus is presented as a standardised cognitive assessment tool, normed and validated in a sample of neurologically healthy participants. Further research demonstrating the use and validity of the OCS-Plus in various clinical populations is required. Predicted convergent and divergent validity was found, high internal consistency for most measures was also found with the exception of restricted range tasks, as well as strong test–retest reliability, which provided evidence of test stability. We established the normative impairment cut-offs for each of the subtasks. Internal consistency of each subtask was evaluated, and test–retest reliability was determined. Divergent validity was established through comparison with the BDI and tests measuring divergent cognitive domains. The convergent validity of this assessment was established in comparison to the ACE-R, CERAD and Rey–Osterrieth. In this study, 320 neurologically healthy ageing participants (age M = 62.66, SD = 13.75) from three sites completed the OCS-Plus. The OCS-Plus contains 10 subtasks and requires on average 24 min to complete. The OCS-Plus was designed to sensitively screen for cognitive impairments and provide a differentiation between memory and executive deficits. Here, we present the Oxford Cognitive Screen-Plus, a computerised tablet-based screen designed to briefly assess domain-general cognition and provide more fine-grained measures of memory and executive function.
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