Can Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) Replace Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for Dementia Screening in a Thai Geriatric Outpatient Setting
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, 06/08/2012  Clinical Article

Limpawattana P et al. – The finding supports that the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS)–Thai can be an effective alternative test for dementia screening. For both test scores, a score of 24 or lower is an optimal cut–off point to provide an indication of developing dementia.

• Mini-mental-State Examination (MMSE) is a widely used tool for dementia screening.
• However, several limitations are found and the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) appears to be an alternative test.
• The objective in this study was to compare the performance of MMSE-Thai 2002 and RUDAS-Thai for dementia screening, and to determine their performances and identify their optimal cut-off points.
• The participants were older patients from a Geriatric and Neurology Outpatient Clinic, Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University.
• The RUDAS-Thai and the MMSE-Thai 2002 were administered to each participant.
• Subsequently, a specialist physician assessed each participant for dementia.
• Results showed the area under receiver operating characteristic curve for both RUDAS-Thai (81.0%; 95%CI, 74.8-87.2) and MMSE-Thai 2002 (81.2%; 95%CI, 74.9-87.4) were equal.
• A score of 24 or lower provided an optimal cut-off point.