Diagnostic accuracy of 10/66 dementia protocol in Māori kaumātua (elders) living in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Dementia is an important health concern for Māori and therefore it is essential to explore the extent and impact of dementia in this community. The 10/66 dementia protocol, a widely used research tool for measuring the prevalence of dementia, was developed to minimise cultural and educational bias in comparisons of dementia prevalence across different countries and/or cultures. The aims of this study are to (i) adapt the 10/66 dementia protocol for use in research within the Māori community and (ii) test the diagnostic accuracy of the adapted (ie, Māori-friendly) 10/66 dementia protocol against the reference standard of a clinical diagnosis of dementia (or no dementia). The sample included Māori aged 65 and over who had been assessed at a local memory service. Ten dementia cases and 10 controls were included. The sample was further enriched by the inclusion of 6 controls from a concurrent dementia-prevalence feasibility study in the local community. The Māori-friendly 10/66 dementia protocol was measured against the reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and Youden's Index were calculated. The Māori-friendly 10/66 dementia protocol had a sensitivity of 90.0% (95% CI 62.8-99.4), specificity of 93.8% (95% CI 75.3-99.6), positive predictive value of 90.0% (95% CI 62.8-99.4), negative predictive value of 93.8% (95% CI 75.3-99.6) and Youden's Index of 0.83. Our study results provide preliminary evidence that the Māori-friendly 10/66 dementia protocol has adequate discriminatory abilities for the diagnosis of dementia. Our study also demonstrates that the Māori-friendly 10/66 dementia protocol has the potential to be used in a dementia-population-based study for Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Nil.