Perioperative neurocognitive disorders are common after surgery and pre-existing cognitive impairment is an important risk factor. Current guidelines recommend identifying cognitive impairment before surgery; however, screening remains inconsistent, particularly when preoperative assessments are performed remotely.
This prospective observational diagnostic validation study aims to determine whether a modified Mini-Cog cognitive screening tool administered by telephone can reliably identify cognitive impairment in patients aged 65 years and older undergoing preoperative assessment. Telephone-based modified Mini-Cog results will be compared with standard in-person Mini-Cog assessments to evaluate agreement and feasibility. This study may improve access to preoperative cognitive screening and support optimization of surgical care for older adults.
Patients with age >65 at time of listing for pre-operative assessment.
Patients with a conversational understanding of English language.
Patients scheduled for in-person consult with an anaesthesiologist.
Patients awaiting surgery at Vancouver General Hospital or University of British Columbia Hospital.
None
This study will include adults aged 65 years and older who are scheduled for elective surgery and undergoing preoperative anesthetic assessment at Vancouver General Hospital or University of British Columbia Hospital. Participants will be recruited from the Pre-Admission Clinic referral list and will complete a modified Mini-Cog cognitive screening assessment by telephone followed by a standard in-person Mini-Cog assessment during their preoperative visit. The study population represents older adults undergoing surgical evaluation who do not have a known diagnosis of cognitive impairment.
Other
Prospective
Modified Mini-Cog Telephone Assessment
Diagnostic testA modified Mini-Cog cognitive screening assessment administered by telephone to evaluate its reliability and concordance with standard in-person Mini-Cog assessment in older adults undergoing preoperative assessment.
Concordance between telephone-administered modified Mini-Cog and standard in-person Mini-Cog assessment
Agreement between modified Mini-Cog scores obtained by telephone and standard in-person Mini-Cog scores in identifying cognitive impairment using the established Mini-Cog cutoff score.
Sensitivity and specificity of telephone modified Mini-Cog
Sensitivity and specificity of the telephone-administered modified Mini-Cog for detection of cognitive impairment compared with the in-person Mini-Cog assessment.
Completion time of modified Mini-Cog assessment
Time required to complete the telephone and in-person Mini-Cog assessments.
Feasibility of telephone-based cognitive screening
Proportion of participants able to complete the telephone-administered modified Mini-Cog assessment.
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University of British Columbia
Lead sponsor
Vancouver General Hospital
Collaborator
