P072: Using the Bergman-Paris Question to detect ED seniors’ cognitive impairment and functional status

Abstract

Introduction: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) remains frequently undiagnosed and Emergency Department (ED) guidelines suggest screening for CI. The Bergman-Paris Question (BPQ) which is currently used in memory clinics, is a one-question screening test administered to the patient’s relative; a negative answer suggests presence of CI. We sought to validate if the BPQ would be associated with MCI and functional status in ED elders. Methods: A planned sub-study of the prospective MIDI-INDEED study on ED-induced delirium, which included patients from 4 Canadian EDs was realized. Inclusion criteria were: patients ≥65 y.o., with and ED stay ≥8 hours, admitted to the hospital, non-delirious at the end of the first 8 hours and independent or semi-independent. Eligible patients were assessed in ED and at 60 days after ED visit using validated screening tests: the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-modified (TICS-m) for CI and the Older Americans Resources and Services scale (OARS) for functional status. The BPQ was asked at any time depending on the availability of a relative. Patients with a TICS-m score <31 are considered to have MCI. Data from patients with incident delirium, and those with documented dementia was individually analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to ascertain outcomes. Results: 167 patients had a BPQ response, 126 (75.5%) were negative, and 41 positive (24.5%). For MCI, 40 (32.8%) patients of the negative group have a TICS-m below 31 comparatively to 6 (14.3%) for the positive group (p=0.2). The BPQ was significantly associated with functional status. The mean OARS scores were 25.1 (3.9) in the negative group and 27.1 (1.3) in the positive group. This difference was maintained at 60 days. The number of delirium in the negative group was 24 (18%) vs 2 (5%) in the positive group (p=0.04). Conclusion: BPQ could provide detection of MCI but further validation in a larger population is needed. BPQ was interestingly associated with ED-induced delirium and dementia. Detection of functional status and frailty shows good results. More research is needed to evaluate the usefulness of the BPQ “single” question for geriatric screening by ED professionals.