Teleneuropsychology: Reliability and Acceptance in Memory Assessment

Abstract

Introduction: The use of telehealth in psychological interventions has experienced a significant increase in recent years. This form of patient interaction has important implications, especially in neuropsychological assessment. Given the limited research on this subject in Portugal, the reliability of neuropsychological tests and acceptance of this format by the Portuguese elderly must be studied.

Methods: The sample consisted of 43 healthy Portuguese adults. They were assessed by cognitive measures and questionnaires regarding sociodemographic aspects, memory complaints, computer literacy, functionality, depressive symptoms, and satisfaction with the teleconsultation via videoconference and in-person approaches. The order of the two conditions was randomized.

Results: There were no significant differences between scores on the Logical Memory Test. However, higher scores were found in the online condition for the Paired Associate Learning Test. The level of satisfaction with teleconsultation was high, but it did not translate into a greater preference for this format.

Discussion: The neuropsychological assessment of auditory-verbal episodic memory through teleconsultation is promising and well accepted by the older Portuguese population. The data indicate that teleconsultation provides reliable results for episodic memory assessment.

Keywords: episodic memory; neuropsychological tests; telehealth; teleneuropsychology.