The General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG)

Abstract

The General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG) is a very brief cognitive screening tool specifically designed for use in general practice. It is available free of charge as paper-and-pencil test or web-based interactive instrument via the GPCOG website (www.gpcog.com.au). Unlike other brief screening instruments, the GPCOG consists of a 5-component patient assessment and a brief informant interview (Six questions). Total administration time is less than 5 min. The diagnostic performance of the GPCOG was validated against DSM-W-defined dementia diagnosis. In comparison to other widely-used cognitive screens such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) or the Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT) the GPCOG performed at least as well as, if not better, than the MMSE and the AMT. The sensitivity and specificity ranges of the English GPCOG were 0.81-0.98 and 0.72- 0.95, respectively. "Validated translations of the instrument are published and available online (www.gpcog.com.au). The GPCOG and its informant component in particular were found to be free of demographic biases. In conclusion, recent reviews of dementia screening tools recommended the GPCOG as one of three tools to be used in the primary care setting based on its psychometric properties and time efficiency. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)