TY - JOUR
T1 - Executive control and the comprehension of medical information by elderly retirees
AU - Royall, Donald R.
AU - Cordes, Jeffrey
AU - Polk, Marsha
N1 - Funding Information:
Received 10 December 1996; accepted I S January 1997. This study was supported in part by a grant Iron1 the Abheimer'\ Care and Research Foundation. We wish to acknowledge the importanl cooperation and support received Irom the Air Force V i Ilages. Address correspondence to Donald R. Koyall. Departmenl ol' Psychiatry. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. 7703 Floyd Curl Drive. San Antonio. TX 78284-7792.
PY - 1997/10/1
Y1 - 1997/10/1
N2 - This study examined the independent contributions of executive control function, general cognition, age, education, and medication usage to the comprehension of medical information. Randomly selected elderly retirees (N = 705) more than 70 years of age completed the Executive Interview (EXIT25), the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), and the Hopkins Competency Assessment Test (HCAT). Cognitive measures were stronger predictors of HCAT scores than age, education, or number of prescribed medications. A discriminant model based on EXIT25 and MMSE scores correctly classified 91% of subjects relative to their HCAT scores. It was concluded that executive impairment is strongly associated with impaired comprehension of medical information. As many as 88% of probable Alzheimer's disease patients, 69% of institutionalized elderly retirees, and 49% of noninstitutionalized retirees may be impaired in their ability to comprehend medical information, even when it has been presented well below their educational le vel.
AB - This study examined the independent contributions of executive control function, general cognition, age, education, and medication usage to the comprehension of medical information. Randomly selected elderly retirees (N = 705) more than 70 years of age completed the Executive Interview (EXIT25), the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), and the Hopkins Competency Assessment Test (HCAT). Cognitive measures were stronger predictors of HCAT scores than age, education, or number of prescribed medications. A discriminant model based on EXIT25 and MMSE scores correctly classified 91% of subjects relative to their HCAT scores. It was concluded that executive impairment is strongly associated with impaired comprehension of medical information. As many as 88% of probable Alzheimer's disease patients, 69% of institutionalized elderly retirees, and 49% of noninstitutionalized retirees may be impaired in their ability to comprehend medical information, even when it has been presented well below their educational le vel.
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U2 - 10.1080/03610739708254033
DO - 10.1080/03610739708254033
M3 - Article
C2 - 9352289
AN - SCOPUS:0030779538
VL - 23
SP - 301
EP - 313
JO - Experimental Aging Research
JF - Experimental Aging Research
SN - 0361-073X
IS - 4
ER -