Table 3 Brief overview of the selected multi-domain AD scales
Scale | Domains/dimensions (number of items) | Patient population | Rating | Rater | Item scoring | Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGP (van der Kam et al. 1971) | Caregiver dependency (9), Social skills (7), Aggressiveness (5), Psychoorganic syndrome (11), Depressiveness (3) | Moderate to severe AD | Observation | Nurse, Caregiver | 3-point | Used in clinical trials for assessment of behavior in psychogeriatric patients; the BGP-care dependency subscale reflects cognitive and functional characteristics related with increased need for care |
GBS (Gottfries et al. 1982) | Intellect (11), Emotion (3), Self-care (6), Behavior (6) | Mild to severe AD | Observation/interview | Physician, Psychologist, Nurse | 7-point | Global assessment tool for evaluating dementia symptoms; it is not suitable for diagnostic purposes but for repeated measurements of patients participating in clinical trials for assessment of drug treatment effects |
NOSGER (Brunner & Spiegel 1990) | Memory (5), IADL (5), Self-care (5), Mood (5), Social behavior (5), Disturbing behavior (5) | Mild to moderate AD | Observation | Nurse, Caregiver | 5-point | Developed for longitudinal studies in psychogeriatrics; used in several European and North American centers; suitable for dementia screening |
SCAG (Shader et al. 1974) | Cognitive dysfunction (4), Interpersonal relationship (4), Apathy (4), Affect (3), Somatic function (3) | Senile dementia | Observation/interview | Clinician | 7-point | General-purpose rating scale developed for evaluation of pharmacotherapy in senile dementia; widely used in drug research trials during 1980's |
VL (Porzsolt et al. 2004) | Communication (15), Negative affect (10), Bodily contact (5), Aggression (4), Mobility (6) | Severe AD | Observation | Physician, Nurse | 7-point | A relatively new developed proxy-rating QoL instrument for documentation of the outcome of geriatric inpatient rehabilitation |