Diagnostic Accuracy of the Swedish Version of the Multicultural Cognitive Examination for Cognitive Assessment in Swedish Memory Clinics

Abstract

Background: Cognitive assessment for foreign-born individuals is suboptimal. The Multicultural Cognitive Examination (MCE) was developed for use in culturally, linguistically and educationally diverse populations. The MCE includes the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) and performs assessment of memory, verbal fluency, and visuospatial function. Objective: To compare the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Multicultural Cognitive Examination (MCE-S) with the Swedish versions of the RUDAS (RUDAS-S), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-SR), and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT), and to explore the ability of the MCE-S test to differentiate patients with and without dementia in a multicultural population. Methods: 117 outpatients at four memory clinics were tested using the MCE-S to complement the routine cognitive assessment. Results: Significant differences between patients with and without dementia were observed for all MCE-S components. There were significant differences between foreign-born and Swedish-born patients in the MMSE-SR, but not in the MCE-S or the RUDAS-S. The MCE-S, had good diagnostic performance for detecting dementia (AUC, 0.82), and was at least as good as the RUDAS-S alone (AUC, 0.79). The MCE-S also distinguished Alzheimer’s disease (AD) from non-AD dementia. Contrary to expectations, the MCE-S was also at least as good as the MMSE-SR among the Swedish-born patients. Conclusions: The MCE-S is adequate for detecting dementia in both foreign-born and Swedish-born populations. Based on the cultural diversity of general society, adapted cognitive tests that can be used for everyone are practical and beneficial for both patients and health-care professionals. Further studies are needed within primary care.