Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Nepali version of the Rowland universal dementia assessment scale (RUDAS)

Abstract

Background Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a transitional state between normal cognition and dementia during ageing process. Early screening of elderly for MCI can help for early prevention and treatment of dementia. Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) is a brief cognitive assessment tool with excellent psychometric properties and is particularly useful in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations. The purpose of this study was to translate RUDAS into Nepali and to evaluate internal consistency of Nepali version of RUDAS. Methods RUDAS was translated to Nepali following recommended guidelines for translation and cross-cultural adaptation of patient reported measures. The pre-final Nepali version of RUDAS was tested on 30 elderly and appropriate changes were made by expert committee. The final Nepali version of RUDAS was developed and was administered on 100 elderly populations (mean age 67.70) to assess internal consistency. Results The rating of the participants upon their understanding of each 6 items of Nepali version of RUDAS on a 10-point Likert scale received a good score of more than 8 except ‘cube drawing’ which only received a mean score of 5.5. Additionally, only 8(27%) elderly have responded to the item ‘cube drawing’. The preference test was done and cube drawing was replaced by stick design test. Nepali version of RUDAS showed acceptable internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha 0.7. Conclusion The results of our study presents translated and cross-culturally adapted Nepali version of RUDAS that has been proved to be an appropriate assessment tool for screening cognitive impairment among elderly. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s41687-019-0132-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Validation of the Rowlands Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) to detect major neurocognitive disorder among elderly people in Ethiopia, 2020

“…The initial development study by Storey et al reported an inter-rater, and test-retest reliabilities of 0.99 and 0.98, respectively [ 23 ]. In addition to the above study, the reliability measures for RUDAS on the current study also corroborate with reports of the studies conducted in the Netherlands, Taiwan, Peru, and Nepal [ 32 , 38 – 40 ]. These consistent reports demonstrate the tool’s ability to reliably and consistently measure the cognitive status of individuals.…”

“…However, controversies exist regarding the association of education with the performance of the test. Some report the relative freeness of the tool from the effect of education [ 38 , 40 , 41 ] while others indicated an association [ 30 , 42 ]. In our study, confirming the findings of some of the studies, years of education had a significant association.…”

Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of Measurement Instruments: A Practical Guideline for Novice Researchers

“…Several studies reporting the substitution of words and items as a consequence of the cross-cultural adaptation process have underlined this procedure. [77][78][79][80][81][82][83] For partial or total replacement of items, researchers must obtain approval from the developers of the "original instrument".…”

“…76 Several studies have reported the substitution of words and items as a result of using Dual-Focus. [77][78][79][80][81][82][83] The specific relevance of different methodological approaches has been justified in scientific literature. Toma et al 84 highlighted the effect of combining the back translations with Cognitive Testing (also called Cognitive Interviewing and Cognitive Debriefing) in modifying five items of an instrument with each of these approaches.…”

Memory First Aid: remote memory service and webinar-based dementia training for non-medical graduates in Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

“…6 RUDAS is a short interview-based questionnaire that assesses multiple cognitive domains, including memory recall, visuospatial orientation, praxis, visuoconstructional drawing, judgement and language. It has been validated in Nepal (Nepali-RUDAS) 7 and is relevant to all South Asian countries.…”