Source
Earl K. Long Medical Center, LSUHSC, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Psychomotor slowing is an early symptom of HIV-associated dementia. The Modified HIV Dementia Scale (MHDS) is a fast, reliable measure of HIV-associated dementia. However, literacy may influence the psychomotor speed subscale (MHDS-PS). Psychomotor speed might be more accurately assessed using the Coin Rotation Test (CRT).
OBJECTIVE:
This study examined the CRT's validity in assessing psychomotor speed in HIV+ patients by comparing it with the MHDS-PS. We also investigated whether demographic, education, or HIV-related variables were associated with either measure.
METHODS:
The sample consisted of 204 HIV+ patients at a community health clinic. All participants completed the MHDS and CRT as part of admission to the clinic. Demographic, education, and disease data were also obtained.
RESULTS:
Correlations revealed good convergent validity between the CRT and MHDS-PS. Gender did not significantly affect CRT performance but did affect MHDS-PS performance. CRT performance was less affected by education than MHDS-PS performance.
CONCLUSIONS:
The CRT is a valid measure of psychomotor speed in HIV+ patients and may be more accurate than the MHDS-PS, particularly in individuals with lower levels of education.