@article{2998741,
    title = "End-stage dementia spark of life: Reliability and validity of the “GATOS” questionnaire",
    author = "Tsoucalas, G. and Bourelia, S. and Kalogirou, V. and Giatsiou, S. and Mavrogiannaki, E. and Gatos, G. and Galanos, A. and Repana, O. and Iliadou, E. and Antoniou, A. and Sgantzos, M. and Gatos, K.",
    journal = "Current Alzheimer Research",
    year = "2015",
    volume = "12",
    number = "2",
    pages = "179-188",
    publisher = "Bentham Science Publishers B.V.",
    issn = "1567-2050",
    doi = "10.2174/1567205012666150204122635",
    keywords = "Article;  criterion related validity;  dementia;  discriminant validity;  female;  human;  interrater reliability;  major clinical study;  male;  Mini Mental State Examination;  prevalence;  priority journal;  quality of life;  questionnaire;  reliability;  test retest reliability;  validity;  age;  aged;  dementia;  educational status;  employment;  mental health;  middle aged;  procedures;  reproducibility;  rural population;  terminal care;  urban population;  validation study;  very elderly, Age Factors;  Aged;  Aged, 80 and over;  Dementia;  Educational Status;  Employment;  Female;  Humans;  Male;  Mental Status Schedule;  Middle Aged;  Quality of Life;  Reproducibility of Results;  Rural Population;  Surveys and Questionnaires;  Terminal Care;  Urban Population",
    abstract = "Background: Floor effects are present in most dementia assessment tools as dementia progresses and the in–depth assessment of patients considered more or less on vegetative state is questionable. Objective: To develop a questionnaire (the “Gatos Clinical Test-GCT”) for the assessment of end-stage demented patients. Methods: Five hundred patients with dementia of various causes and an MMSE score between 0 and 2 were enrolled in the study. The GCT consists of 14 closed type questions rated on a Likert scale. The total score is used to evaluate patient’s dementia. Various aspects of validity and reliability (including face, content and structural validity as well as test-retest reliability) were examined. Results: Three subscales “Autonomy/Alertness”, “Gnosias” and “Somatokinetic function” were defined, with a Cronbach equal to 0.851, 0.756 and 0.598 respectively. The GCT subscales and total score were statistically significant higher in patients with MMSE score 1 or 2 compared with those with MMSE score 0 (p<0.0005). Patients with GCT total score less than 12.5 had 75% probability to have zero MMSE score. Conclusion: The “GATOS” questionnaire is a valid and reliable test for patients with severe dementia, aiming at identification of those patients who could sustain some quality of life. It is a relatively short and easy to administer tool. As dementia prevalence is expected to rise further worldwide we believe that GCT could offer valuable services to health professionals, caregivers and patients. © 2015 Bentham Science Publishers."
}