Agreement Between In-Person and Telephone Application of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly.
Luiz Henrique Sabino Silva, Renner Vinicius da Silva, Paula Pinto Coelho et al.
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In 30 seconds
This methodological study assessed agreement between in-person and telephone administration of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE), completed by caregivers or family members of older adults. The order of administration was randomized, with assessments 5–7 days apart and conducted by different blinded researchers. Among 51 individuals, scores did not differ significantly between modalities (p = 0.227), and agreement for the total score was high (ICC = 0.74). Agreement varied across individual items, from low to high.
Key findings
- Total IQCODE scores showed high agreement between telephone and in-person administration (ICC = 0.74).
- There was no statistically significant difference between administration methods (p = 0.227).
- Item-level agreement ranged from low to high, with ICCs of 0.17 to 0.98.
Why it matters
Informant-based cognitive assessment by telephone may help extend access when in-person assessment is difficult. The high agreement for total scores supports considering telephone administration in clinical and research settings, while the wide variation in item-level agreement cautions against assuming that every response is interchangeable across modalities.
What to keep in mind
The study included 51 individuals, and item-level agreement varied substantially. Assessments were separated by only 5–7 days.