DOMS: Staging Measures & Tools

Staging measures are used to assess the severity and progression of dementia.

The following measures are covered by DOMS:

Global Deterioration Scale (GDS)

Authors: Reisberg et al., 1982
Quality Rating: Excellent
Time Required: 5–10 min

The GDS is a brief dementia staging scale designed for carers and clinical staff to assess the current stage of dementia and its progression over time. The GDS has been extensively validated, and has a long history of use worldwide.

The GDS is administered by clinical staff (e.g. clinical nurse, research assistant) or healthcare professionals using semi-structured interviews with the person and an informant/carer.

Permissions & Cost:
Free of charge to Australian healthcare professionals for non-commercial clinical or research purposes. For other users or purposes, please contact the original authors to seek permission.

Downloads & Tools:

Test form

References

Reisberg, B., Ferris, S. H., de Leon, M. J., & Crook, T. (1982). The Global Deterioration Scale for assessment of primary degenerative dementia. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 1136–1139.

Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR)

Authors: Hughes et al., 1982
Quality Rating: Excellent
Time Required: 40–75 min

The CDR is a comprehensive dementia staging scale that has become a worldwide standard for assessing the severity and progression of dementia. Two different scores can be calculated from the CDR: i) the Global score which is the standard regularly used in clinical and research settings but requires an algorithm to calculate, and ii) the Sum of Boxes score which provides more comprehensive information, particularly in patients with mild dementia, and does not require an algorithm to calculate.

The CDR is administered by a healthcare professional that is highly experienced with dementia, using a semi-structured interview of the person and an informant.

Permissions & Cost:
The CDR can be used without modification or editing of any kind solely for clinical care purposes and non-commercial research. For more information on permission and licensing, please visit the CDR website or the licensing page of the University of Washington in St. Louis.

Downloads & Tools:

References

Hughes, C. P., Berg, L., Danziger, W. L., Coben, L. A., & Martin, R. L. (1982). A new clinical scale for the staging of dementia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 140(JUN), 566–572.
Morris, J.C. (1993). The clinical dementia rating (CDR): Current version and scoring rules. Neurology, 43(11), 2412–2414.
O’Bryant, S. E. (2008). Staging dementia using Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes scores. Archives of Neurology, 65(8), 1091–1095.
O’Bryant, S. E. (2010). Validation of the New Interpretive Guidelines for the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes Score in the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Database. Archives of Neurology, 67(6), 746–749.

Functional Assessment Staging Test (FAST)

Authors: Reisberg, 1988
Quality Rating: Good
Time Required: 2 min

The FAST is a very brief dementia staging scale with a focus on functional decline at the moderate to severe stages of dementia. It was developed by the makers of the Global Deterioration Scale.

The FAST is administered by clinical staff (e.g. clinical nurse; research assistant) or healthcare professionals using semi-structured interviews with the person and an informant/carer.

Downloads & Tools:

References

Reisberg, B. (1988). Functional assessment staging (FAST). Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 24, 653–659.

Dementia Severity Rating Scale (DSRS)

Authors: Clark & Ewbank, 1996
Quality Rating: Very good
Time Required: 4–5 min

The DSRS is a brief staging instrument that is completed by the carer. It has a multiple-choice format. The DSRS has excellent ability to discriminate persons without cognitive impairment from those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

The DSRS is completed by the carer.

Permissions & Cost:
Free of charge to healthcare professionals for non-commercial clinical or research purposes. For other uses, please contact the original authors to seek permission.

Downloads & Tools

Test form

References

Clark, C. M., & Ewbank, D. C. (1996). Performance of the dementia severity rating scale: A caregiver questionnaire for rating severity in Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders, 10(1), 31–39.