Acceptability and Usability of Computerized Cognitive Assessment Among Australian Indigenous Residents of the Torres Strait Islands

• Published in: Archives of clinical neuropsychology 2020-11, Vol.35 (8), p.1288-1302
• Main Authors: Thompson, Fintan, Cysique, Lucette A, Harriss, Linton R, Taylor, Sean, Savage, Greg, Maruff, Paul, Mcdermott, Robyn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Australia; Cognition; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Islands; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests
• ISSN: 1873-5843; 1873-5843
• DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acaa037

Abstract Objectives This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the acceptability and usability of the Cogstate Brief Battery (CBB) in a community-based sample of Australian Indigenous people from the Torres Strait region, based on a user experience framework of human–computer interaction. Methods Two-hundred community participants completed the four subtests of the CBB on an iPad platform, during a free adult health check on two islands in the region, between October and December 2016. Acceptability was defined as completing the learning trial of a task and usability as continuing a task through to completion, determined by examiner acumen and internal Cogstate completion and integrity criteria. These were combined into a single dichotomous completion measure for logistic regression analyses. Performance—measured as reaction times and accuracy of responses—was analyzed using linear regression analyses. Results CBB completion ranged from 82.0% to 91.5% across the four tasks and the odds of completing decreased with age. After adjusting for age, iPad/tablet familiarity increased the odds of completion for all tasks while level of education and employment increased the odds for some tasks only. These variables accounted for 18.0%–23.8% of the variance in reaction times on speeded tasks. Age and education had the most effect, although semipartial correlations were modest. Conclusions When administered in a health-screening context, the acceptability and usability of the CBB were greatest in young- to middle-aged participants with some education and iPad/tablet experience. Older and more vulnerable participants may have benefited from additional time and practice on the CBB prior to administration.