Validity, Reliability, and Feasibility of Clinical Staging Scales in Dementia: A Systematic Review
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias
Rikkert, M. G., Tona, K. D., et al. (2011).
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias, 26(5), 357-365.
This systematic review investigates the validity and reliability of clinically applicable, mutlidomain dementia staging instruments [e.g., Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Dementia Severity Rating Scale (DSRS), Direct Assessment of Functional Status (DAFS), Functional Rating Scale (FRS), Global Assessment of Dementia (GAD)] for individuals with cognitive impairment, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease.
No funding received
Not stated
Empirical, English-language, prospective studies (not further specified)
23 articles; 12 staging instruments
<p>"No single staging instrument is complete in the sense that it is excellently validated, shows good reliability, is applicable in the entire course of the disease, and is most widely applied in cross-cultural perspective" (p. 361).</p><p>The current evidence for staging instruments suggests strong intrarater and interrater reliability overall (moderate to good for most instruments) and concurrent validity with other cognitive scales ranges from good to very good. Discriminant validity, however, has not been established and therapeutic response has not been adequately studied.</p><p>Administration of the included scales was feasible, short, and easily taught.</p><p>"Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), and Functional Assessment Staging (FAST) have been monitored on reliability and validity, and the CDR currently is the best-evidenced scale, also studied in international perspective, and is available in 14 languages" (Abstract).</p>
