New methods for efficient assessment

 
   Lead Investigator:    Niels Smits
   Institution      :    University of Amsterdam
   E-Mail           :    n.smits@uva.nl
   Proposal ID      :    815



   Proposal Description:
   The diagnosis of dementia can be defined as the process of determining whether    a patient suffers from dementia. A single test is not sufficient because for      diagnosing dementia, multiple attributes play a role each of these attributes     needs to be assessed. During the neuropsychological examination a set of          cognitive test used to evaluate cognitive functions such as memory,               concentration, etcetera. The assessment session is long and it may be             exhausting, increasing the probability of fallacious answers, random responding   or premature termination.                                                         To solve this problem, a diagnostic algorithm will be built that optimizes both   the number of tests presented to a patient and the number items within each       test. With this algorithm an optimal sequence of tests is proposed for each       patient. After the administration of one test, the algorithm uses the             patient???s previous scores to select the next, most informative test. After      each test,information about the uncertainty of the diagnosis is established,      and if this uncertainty is low enough the assessment is stopped and the           appropriate diagnosis is given.                                                   In this study the requested data will be used to develop the algorithm. So new    methodological technology will be developed.