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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased utilization of teleneuropsychology (TeleNP) services. Unfortunately, investigations of performance validity tests (PVT) delivered via TeleNP are sparse.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the specificity of the Reliable Digit Span (RDS) and 21-item test administered via telephoneMETHOD:Participants were 51 veterans with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). All participants completed the RDS and 21-item test in the context of a larger TeleNP battery. Specificity rates were examined across multiple cutoffs for both PVTs.
RESULTS: Consistent with research employing traditional face-to-face neuropsychological evaluations, both PVTs maintained adequate specificity (i.e., > 90%) across previously established cutoffs. Specifically, defining performance invalidity as RDS < 7 or 21-item test forced choice total correct < 11 led to < 10%false positive classification errors.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings add to the limited body of research examining and provide preliminary support for the use of the RDS and 21-item test in TeleNP via telephone. Both measures maintained adequate specificity in veterans with moderate-to-severe TBI. Future investigations including clinical or experimental "feigners" in a counter-balanced cross-over design (i.e., face-to-face vs. TeleNP) are recommended.
Language: en |