Development of a short-form Swedish version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (s-MoCA-SWE): protocol for a cross-sectional study

Tamar Abzhandadze; Erik Lundström; Dongni Buvarp; Marie Eriksson; Terence J Quinn; Katharina S Sunnerhagen

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049035

Development of a short-form Swedish version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (s-MoCA-SWE): protocol for a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open. 2021 May 3;11(5):e049035. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049035.

Authors

Tamar Abzhandadze^{1

2}, Erik Lundström³, Dongni Buvarp⁴, Marie Eriksson⁵, Terence J Quinn⁶, Katharina S Sunnerhagen^{4

7}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden tamar.abzhandadze@gu.se.
² Department of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
³ Department of Neuroscience, Neurology, Uppsala University, Akademiska Sjukhuset, Uppsala, Sweden.
⁴ Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
⁵ Department of Statistics, USBE, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
⁶ Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
⁷ Neurocare, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Abstract

Introduction: Short forms of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) have allowed quick cognitive screening. However, none of the available short forms has been created or validated in a Swedish sample of patients with stroke.The aim is to develop a short-form Swedish version of the MoCA (s-MoCA-SWE) in a sample of patients with acute and subacute stroke. The specific objectives are: (1) to identify a subgroup of MoCA items that have the potential to form the s-MoCA-SWE; (2) to determine the optimal cut-off value of s-MoCA-SWE for predicting cognitive impairment and (3) and to compare the psychometric properties of s-MoCA-SWE with those of previously developed MoCA short forms.

Methods and analysis: This is a statistical analysis protocol for a cross-sectional study. The study sample will comprise patients from Väststroke, a local stroke registry from Gothenburg, Sweden and Efficacy oF Fluoxetine-a randomisEd Controlled Trial in Stroke (EFFECTS), a randomised controlled trial in Sweden. The s-MoCA-SWE will be developed by using exploratory factor analysis and the boosted regression tree algorithm. The cut-off value of s-MoCA-SWE for impaired cognition will be determined based on binary logistic regression analysis. The psychometric properties of s-MoCA-SWE will be compared with those of other MoCA short forms by using cross-tabulation and area under the receiving operating characteristic curve analyses.

Ethics and dissemination: The Väststroke study has received ethical approval from the Regional Ethical Review Board in Gothenburg (346-16) and the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (amendment 2019-04299). The handling of data generated within the framework of quality registers does not require written informed consent from patients. The EFFECTS study has received ethical approval from the Stockholm Ethics Committee (2013/1265-31/2 on 30 September 2013). All participants provided written consent. Results will be published in an international, peer-reviewed journal, presented at conferences and communicated to clinical practitioners in local meetings and seminars.

Keywords: delirium & cognitive disorders; rehabilitation medicine; stroke; stroke medicine.

Publication types

Clinical Trial Protocol
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cognitive Dysfunction*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Mental Status and Dementia Tests
Neuropsychological Tests
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Stroke*
Sweden