TY - JOUR
T1 - Validating screening instruments for neuroepidemiologic surveys
T2 - Experience in Sicily
AU - Meneghini, Francesca
AU - Rocca, Walter A.
AU - Anderson, Dallas W.
AU - Grigoletto, Francesco
AU - Morgante, Letterio
AU - Reggio, Arturo
AU - Savettieri, Giovanni
AU - di Perri, Raoul
N1 - Funding Information:
*Presented in part at the Annual Meeting of the World Federation of Neurology Research Group on Neurocpi-demiology, Miami, Florida, U.S.A., 29 April 1990. This investigation was supported by the Assessorato alla Sanitti della Regione Sicilia (Grant No. 58/P) and by Fidia Research Laboratories, Abano Terme, Italy. ?A11c orrespondence should be addressed to: Dr Meneghini, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Fidia Research Laboratories, via Ponte della Fabbrica 3/A, 35031 Abano Terme (Padua), Italy.
PY - 1992/4
Y1 - 1992/4
N2 - In a hospital setting in Sicily, we assessed a screening instrument developed for a prevalence survey of parkinsonism, peripheral neuropathies, stroke, and epilepsy. The subjects consisted of (1) hospital patients with any of the above-mentioned diseases, to investigate sensitivity; and (2) hospital visitors free of all these diseases, to investigate specificity. The standard for comparison was a clinical evaluation based on specified criteria. Trained interviewers administered the screening instrument, asking subjects to answer symptom questions and to perform simple physical tasks. For the questions and tasks together, the sensitivity estimates were 100% for parkinsonism (n = 21), 96% for peripheral neuropathies (n = 22), 96% for stroke (n = 22), and 96% for epilepsy (n = 22), while the specificity estimate was 86% (n = 21). Analogous estimates were computed for the set of questions, for the set of tasks, and for each question and task individually. Despite limitations in our approach, we concluded that the screening instrument would be adequate for its intended use.
AB - In a hospital setting in Sicily, we assessed a screening instrument developed for a prevalence survey of parkinsonism, peripheral neuropathies, stroke, and epilepsy. The subjects consisted of (1) hospital patients with any of the above-mentioned diseases, to investigate sensitivity; and (2) hospital visitors free of all these diseases, to investigate specificity. The standard for comparison was a clinical evaluation based on specified criteria. Trained interviewers administered the screening instrument, asking subjects to answer symptom questions and to perform simple physical tasks. For the questions and tasks together, the sensitivity estimates were 100% for parkinsonism (n = 21), 96% for peripheral neuropathies (n = 22), 96% for stroke (n = 22), and 96% for epilepsy (n = 22), while the specificity estimate was 86% (n = 21). Analogous estimates were computed for the set of questions, for the set of tasks, and for each question and task individually. Despite limitations in our approach, we concluded that the screening instrument would be adequate for its intended use.
KW - Epidemiologic methods
KW - Examination
KW - Neurologic diseases
KW - Questionnaires Screening instruments
KW - Validity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0026588746&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0026588746&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/0895-4356(92)90033-J
DO - 10.1016/0895-4356(92)90033-J
M3 - Article
C2 - 1314889
AN - SCOPUS:0026588746
SN - 0895-4356
VL - 45
SP - 319
EP - 331
JO - Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
JF - Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
IS - 4
ER -