A folk legend for the detection of dementia: An active part of online medical data entry channel

Objective: The early detection of cognitive disorders (CDs) is a main priority in the struggle against the exponential increase of the number of Patients with Dementia (PwD) globally. There are a variety of structured, validated, culturally sensitive, reliable and generally accepted screening tools. All of them are based on diagnostic criteria. However the majority of elders are not screened for a variety of reasons. The present work aims to develop and validate a culturally oriented screening tool, based on the legendary story of the Hagia Sophia cathedral (Church of the Holy Wisdom) at Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). Method: This is an ongoing population-based study in an urban area of Greece (the Ilion Municipality of Attica). A total of 567 community dwellers (55+years old) participated voluntarily and were assessed on the Hagia Sophia Test (HAST), as well as the MMSE, the 3MS, and the CDT. The HAST was developed so that it can be administered by lay people. In the robust text of the myth, language deficits and/or impairment are detected in parallel with the cognitive functions. The test administration takes 10 minutes in total. Results: By estimating Pearson's product moment, statistically significant correlations were found between MMSE-HAST r=.447, 3MS-HAST r=.516, CDT-HAST r=.318, (p<0.001). ROC estimation of the screening value of the HAST with MMSE (cutoff 23/24) as a gold standard yielded 72.1% sensitivity, 72.1% specificity and 0.773 AUC. Conclusion: This test, through its brief, friendly and ecologically valid nature, aims to support the increasing need for the screening of the elderly for cognitive disorders when appropriate.