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We assessed the reliability of scoring written items of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) using different communication modes: face to face, fax and videoconferencing. A total of 99 MMSEs were recovered from the records of a community mental health team for the elderly. The written parts of the examination (sentence and pentagrams) were scored--in person, using a faxed copy or over the video-link--according to published criteria. Relative to in-person scoring, sentences could be scored reliably when faxed (kappa = 0.80), as could pentagrams (kappa = 0.71). Sentences could be reliably scored over the videoconferencing link (kappa = 0.70), but pentagrams could not (kappa = 0.47). Caution is required before accepting the results of scoring such tests over video-links. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The telephone is used by all mental health professionals and many of their clients. Despite this, the telephone has been formally evaluated only occasionally. This paper reviews the literature on cognitive testing by telephone and by videoconferencing, and summarizes the different strategies employed to do this task. There remain weaknesses in the use of the telephone for cognitive testing but it could certainly be used more extensively in both clinical work and research, although the choice of test must be made with a clear view of what the assessment is designed to achieve and the limitations of the assessment instrument itself. Assessment by videoconferencing remains at an early stage of development, with much work to be done before it can be routinely employed as a clinical tool. However, videoconferencing shows promise for the future because it allows a much wider range of assessment than the telephone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary People over the age of 65 were recruited from an inner-city old-age psychiatry service. Subjects had a structured interview the CAMCOG test by videoconferencing, and also face to face, by an investigator blind to the results of the test in the other mode. Reassessments were carried out within one week of the initial assessment. Eleven subjects were initially enrolled in the study and eight completed both modes. The number of patients in this study is very small but the results suggest that the CAMCOG test can be used reliably over a videoconferencing system without major modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the case study on videoconferencing and the hard of hearing. The issue of communication during videoconferencing is given importance with the high prevalence of deafness in the elderly. Participants are discouraged to alter equipment settings that may lead to interview disruption and technical difficulties.