Repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status effort index performance in a medically ill geriatric sample.

Using a sample of 44 clinically referred, non-litigating, older adults, we evaluated the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status Effort Index [RBANS EI; Silverberg, N. D., Wertheimer, J. C., & Fichtenberg, N. L. (2007). An effort index for the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neurospcyhological Status (RBANS). The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 21, 841-854]. With the current RBANS EI cut-score guidelines, 31% of our sample was classified as putting forth suspect effort. With this, cognitive ability was significantly correlated with suspect effort scores. Thus, it appears that the current guidelines may not be useful in a cognitively impaired medically ill geriatric sample. Hence, further research on RBANS EI validation is warranted.

Duke Scholars

Author Maria J. Marquine Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care