Impact of Educational Level on Versions (Basic and Complete) of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

BACKGROUND: One of the most marked problems in the use of screening instruments for the diagnosis of dementia or cognitive impairment in the elderly is the influence of educational level on the results of psychometric tests. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) questionnaire is one of the most widely used dementia screening instruments internationally and with greater proven validity. There is a version of this instrument called MoCA "Basic" which was developed to reduce education bias. The aim of the study was to compare the psychometric characteristics of the MoCA, full versus basic, versions in older adults. METHOD: Participants (N = 214) completed both versions of the MoCA, and screening measures to corroborate their health status. RESULTS: Internal consistency was satisfactory in both versions: MoCA full (0.79) and MoCA basic (0.76). The overall correlation between both tests was high (0.73). There was no relationship between the dimensions included in each version. Educational level and age explained 33.8% of the total variance in MoCA Full and 31.8% in MoCA Basic. Among educational levels, there are statistically significant differences in participants with <6 years of education. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that both versions are reliable instruments and also show that in both versions the educational level of <6 years of education continues to have an impact on performance. Therefore, it can be considered that the MoCA Basic version for the Ecuadorian population with <6 years of education continues to imply literacy competencies.

Normative data of neuropsychological tests of attention and executive functions in Ecuadorian adult population.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to generate normative data for five tests of attention and executive functions (M-WCST, Stroop test, TMT, BTA, and SDMT), in a group of 322 Ecuadorian adults from Quito between the ages of 18 and 85. METHOD: Multiple regression analyzes taking into account age, education, and gender were used to generate the normative data. RESULTS: Age and education were significantly related to test performance such that scores decreased with age and improved as a function of education. An online calculator is provided to generate normative test scores. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study that presents normative data for tests of executive functions and attention in an Ecuadorian adult population. This data will improve the clinical practice of neuropsychology and help to develop the field in the country.

Normative Data for Test of Verbal Fluency and Naming on Ecuadorian Adult Population.

Objective: To generate normative data for verbal fluency and naming test in an Ecuadorian adult population. Methods: The sample consisted of 322 healthy adults (18-84 years old) recruited from Quito, Ecuador. The verbal fluency and Boston Naming Test (BNT) were administered as part of a larger comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to generate the normative data taking into account age, education, and sex. Results: For phonological verbal fluency, results indicated that only education was significantly related to the performance of the letters "A," "S," and "M." However, the performance on the letter "F" was significantly associated with age and education. For semantic fluency, the performance on "animals" was significantly influenced by age, quadratic age, and education, whereas that for "fruits" was explained by quadratic age, education, and sex. The performance on the BNT was significantly influenced by age and education. A Microsoft Excel-based calculator was created to help clinicians to obtain the normative data on this test. Conclusion: This normative data will help neuropsychologist in Ecuador to use these tests both in research and in their clinical practice to improve the diagnosis of cognitive deficits in the population.

Supervision Model of Mental Health Telecare Volunteers During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 outbreak is a pandemic that has strained significantly the capacity of many public and private health systems. To alleviate the burden, many students of health-related professions volunteered to offer their expertise to attend to the health needs of the public. This brief article aims to share a replicable supervision model that is currently in place to care for those volunteers in telecare mental health. The key aspects of this supervision model are the team composition, ongoing group supervision, formally structured supervision sessions, and the objective monitoring of members' well-being.

Nivel educativo y la autonomía funcional en adultos que residen en Quito (Ecuador) / Educational level and functional autonomy in adults of Quito-Ecuador

Resumen La incapacidad funcional del adulto asociada al envejecimiento poblacional genera un problema de salud pública. El objetivo de este artículo es estudiar la asociación existente entre el nivel educativo y la autonomía funcional de los adultos del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito (DMQ) en Ecuador. Para ello se realizó un análisis secundario con la información de la base de datos del estudio "Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA): datos normativos para la población ecuatoriana", que tiene un diseño transversal con adultos de 45 a 85 años. Se utilizó un modelo multivariado de regresión logística. El tamaño muestral fue de 328 participantes, de los cuales 301 fueron incluidos. Los resultados muestran diferencias significativas en cuanto al nivel educativo y la autonomía funcional: primero, permiten observar que un nivel educativo igual o mayor a los 12 años de instrucción es un factor de prevención de la pérdida de la autonomía funcional; segundo, muestran que hay una mayor posibilidad de pérdida de autonomía en función de la edad. Esta asociación existente entre el nivel educativo y la preservación de la autonomía funcional en el adulto en el DMQ muestra la importancia de promover el acceso a prácticas educativas permanentes en la población como parte de un programa de prevención de la pérdida de la autonomía mencionada.

Abstract The functional disability of the adult associated with population aging generates a public health problem due to the impact on the health and social care systems. The objective of this investigation was to study the association between educational level and functional autonomy of adults of the Metropolitan District of Quito (DMQ) in Ecuador. For this, a secondary analysis was done with the information from the database of the study "Montreal cognitive assesment (MOCA): normative data for the Ecuadorian population", the same one that has a cross-sectional study design with adults from 45 to 85 years old. A multivariate logistic regression model was used. The sample number was 328 participants of which 301 were included. The results show the significant differences in terms of educational level and functional autonomy, being a factor of prevention an educational level equal to or greater than 12 years of instruction. In addition, showing greater possibility of loss of autonomy based on age. This existing association between educational level and the preservation of functional autonomy in adults in the DMQ demonstrates the importance of promoting access to permanent educational practices in the population as part of a program to prevent the loss of functional autonomy.