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A New Behavioral Assessment Scale for Geriatric Out‐ and In‐Patients: the NOSGER (Nurses' Observation Scale for Geriatric Patients)
Author(s) -
Spiegel René,
Brunner Christ,
ErminiFünfschilling Doris,
Monsch Andreas,
Notter Marianne,
Puxty John,
Tremmel Lothar
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1991.tb02897.x
Subject(s) - medicine , rating scale , scale (ratio) , mood , geriatric depression scale , geriatric psychiatry , dementia , activities of daily living , clinical psychology , psychometrics , geriatrics , test (biology) , depression (economics) , reliability (semiconductor) , gerontology , psychiatry , psychology , cognition , developmental psychology , paleontology , depressive symptoms , physics , power (physics) , disease , macroeconomics , pathology , quantum mechanics , economics , biology
Although a great number of psychometric tests and rating scales for the assessment of psychogeriatric patients is available, there is still an urgent need, in research and practice, for a clinical rating instrument that meets the following main requirements: (1) applicable to institutionalized and community patients and covering a wide range of behavioral pathology; (2) acceptable and easy to use for professionals and lay persons alike; (3) covering a wide range of behavior relevant to daily functioning but independent of sex or social status of the individual assessed. The NOSGER contains 30 items of behavior, each rated on a 5‐point scale according to frequency of occurrence. Item scores are summarized into 6 Dimension scores (memory, instrumental activities of daily life, self‐care, mood, social behavior, and disturbing behavior) which are clinically relevant in dementia, depression, and other psychiatric disorders of old age. Validation studies with a preliminary version of the NOSGER indicated good acceptance of the scale, high inter‐rater and test‐retest reliability, and high correlations of all NOSGER Dimension scores with results of a variety of established assessment instruments. The NOSGER is currently being used in a number of European and North American centers and should turn out to be a useful instrument for longitudinal studies in psychogeriatrics .