Conversion between the Brief assessment of Impaired Cognition, Brief Assessment of Impaired Cognition Questionnaire, and Mini-Mental State Examination in a mixed clinical sample

Abstract

The Brief Assessment of Impaired Cognition (BASIC), and the Brief Assessment of Impaired Cognition Questionnaire (BASIC-Q) are new case-finding tools for cognitive impairment and dementia which are increasingly being used in clinical settings as alternatives to the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The objective of this study was to develop bi-directional crosswalk tables for conversion between the three instruments for patients 60 years and older. Patients from memory clinics and general practice ≥ 60 years of age who completed assessment with BASIC, BASIC-Q, and MMSE were included. The equipercentile equating method with log-linear pre-smoothing of data was applied to create conversion tables between instruments. A total of 394 patients completed assessment with BASIC and MMSE, 355 of which also completed BASIC-Q. We present bi-directional conversion tables between the three instruments. The study presents bi-directional crosswalks between BASIC, BASIC-Q and MMSE enabling comparison and synthesis of test results, facilitating communication between clinicians, and potentially helping to inform clinical and policy decision making.