The psychometric properties of dementia knowledge scales: a systematic review

Abstract

Dementia prevalence is accelerating internationally commensurate with population aging causing suffering from families as well as society burden because it is generally met with misunderstanding, fear, and stigma. Therefore, it is hoped that efforts to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and clarify misunderstandings of the illness can enable early detection of dementia. There are many different tests that were used to assess dementia knowledge however the use of inferior methods could account for some inconsistent findings related to dementia knowledge. It is important to define robustness of the psychometric properties of dementia knowledge tools.  The aim of this study is to provide a systematic overview of what is known from previous research on assessing the reliability and validity of psychometric properties of dementia knowledge scales. 

A systematic literature search (2009 - 2017) was performed using the electronic databases PubMed, Web of science and Google scholar in English and Vietnamese.  References and citations were tracked to identify additional, relevant studies basing on study eligibility criteria and excluded criteria. Five original studies were recruited from 562 studies in the selected databases for analyzing of the measurement properties of dementia knowledge scales. Quality judgment criteria were formulated and used to evaluate the psychometric aspects of the scales. 

Results: This systematic review revealed 4  dementia knowledge scales (ADKS, DKAS, DK-20, DKAT2) in 5 selected researches. Our findings (based on quality judgment criteria relating to validity, reliability, feasibility) demonstrate that ADKS, DKAS  show good psychometric qualities, ranging from 15-17 score of psychometric qualities of dementia knowledge scale. The last two (DK-20  and DKAT2) scored 11 and 13 points of a maximum quality score of 20, respectively, so their psychometric quality can be regarded as moderate. Therefore, these tools await confirmation of various aspects of their psychometric properties. 

Conclusion: Based on the psychometric qualities, we concluded that ADKS and DKAS  are the appropriate scales currently available. Further research should focus on improving these scales by further testing their validity, reliability, and utility.