Gregory Sarah, Harrison John, Herrmann Janna, Hunter Matthew, Jenkins Natalie, König Alexandra, Linz Nicklas, Luz Saturnino, Mallick Elisa, Pullen Hannah, Welstead Miles, Ruhmel Stephen, Tröger Johannes, Ritchie Craig W
Edinburgh Dementia Prevention, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Scottish Brain Sciences, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Front Dement. 2023 Oct 13;2:1271156. doi: 10.3389/frdem.2023.1271156. eCollection 2023.
Digital cognitive assessments are gathering importance for the decentralized remote clinical trials of the future. Before including such assessments in clinical trials, they must be tested to confirm feasibility and acceptability with the intended participant group. This study presents usability and acceptability data from the Speech on the Phone Assessment (SPeAk) study.
Participants ( = 68, mean age 70.43 years, 52.9% male) provided demographic data and completed baseline and 3-month follow-up phone based assessments. The baseline visit was administered by a trained researcher and included a spontaneous speech assessment and a brief cognitive battery (immediate and delayed recall, digit span, and verbal fluency). The follow-up visit repeated the cognitive battery which was administered by an automatic phone bot. Participants were randomized to receive their cognitive test results acer the final or acer each study visit. Participants completed acceptability questionnaires electronically acer each study visit.
There was excellent retention (98.5%), few technical issues ( = 5), and good interrater reliability. Participants rated the assessment as acceptable, confirming the ease of use of the technology and their comfort in completing cognitive tasks on the phone. Participants generally reported feeling happy to receive the results of their cognitive tests, and this disclosure did not cause participants to feel worried.
The results from this usability and acceptability analysis suggest that completing this brief battery of cognitive tests via a telephone call is both acceptable and feasible in a midlife-to-older adult population in the United Kingdom, living at risk for Alzheimer's disease.
数字认知评估对于未来去中心化的远程临床试验愈发重要。在将此类评估纳入临床试验之前，必须对其进行测试，以确认目标参与者群体的可行性和可接受性。本研究展示了电话语音评估（SPeAk）研究的可用性和可接受性数据。
参与者（n = 68，平均年龄70.43岁，52.9%为男性）提供了人口统计学数据，并完成了基于电话的基线评估和3个月随访评估。基线访视由一名经过培训的研究人员进行，包括自发语音评估和简短认知测试组合（即时和延迟回忆、数字广度和语言流畅性）。随访访视重复进行认知测试组合，由自动电话机器人实施。参与者被随机分配，在最后一次或每次研究访视后接收其认知测试结果。参与者在每次研究访视后通过电子方式完成可接受性问卷。
保留率极佳（98.5%），技术问题较少（n = 5），评分者间信度良好。参与者对评估给予认可，证实了该技术的易用性以及他们在电话上完成认知任务时的舒适度。参与者普遍表示很高兴收到认知测试结果，且这种结果披露并未使他们感到担忧。
此次可用性和可接受性分析结果表明，对于英国处于患阿尔茨海默病风险的中年及老年人群体而言，通过电话完成这一简短的认知测试组合是可接受且可行的。
