Validity of a Novel Screen for Cognitive Impairment and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Cardiac Rehabilitation

Background: Currently, there is no composite screening tool that can efficiently and effectively assess prevalent yet under-recognized cognitive and neuropsychiatric comorbidities in patients with cardiovascular disease. We aimed to determine the validity and feasibility of a novel screen assessing cognitive impairment, anxiety, apathy and depression (CAAD screen) in those attending cardiac rehabilitation (CR).

Methods: All patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular risk factors entering CR were screened as part of clinical care. A subset of those patients agreed to complete validation assessments (n = 127). Screen results were compared to widely accepted standards for cognition, anxiety, apathy, and depression using a modified receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under the curve analysis.

Results: The screen was completed by 97% of participants in 10 min or less with an average completion time of approximately 5 min. Screening scores adjusted for age, sex and years of education had acceptable or excellent validity compared to widely accepted standard diagnoses: CAAD-Cog (AUC = 0.80); CAAD-Anx (AUC = 0.81); CAAD-Apathy (AUC = 0.79) and CAAD-Dep (AUC = 0.85).

Conclusions: The CAAD screen may be a valid and feasible tool for detecting cognitive impairment, anxiety, apathy and depression in CR settings.