Early Detection of Cognitive Decline (EDCD)

November 25, 2025 updated by: RAND

Using the PROMIS Cognition Item Bank for Early Detection of Cognitive Decline in Primary Care

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the impact of a brief cognitive screener on provider behavior in patients completing an annual wellness visit (AWV). The main question[s] it aims to answer are:

  • do appropriate referrals increase for patients using the new screener?
  • do appropriate diagnostic orders increase for patients using the new screener? Participants will respond to 4 questions about their cognitive abilities as part of a larger AWV protocol.

Researchers will compare provider behavior for patients completing AWVs before and after implementation of the new screener to see if referral, diagnostic and prescribing behaviors differ.

Study Overview

Status

Withdrawn

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

In the course of this two-year project, the RAND team and partners (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center [UPMC] and Northwestern University [NU]) will conduct secondary data analysis to establish the validity of scores from the PCF item bank; use the resulting data to derive meaningful scoring criteria and interpretation guidance, and determine the best short form item set from the PCF item bank to use for standardized cognitive impairment screening during the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV); use qualitative methods to refine workflow for administering the screener in primary care; work with UPMC to integrate the resultant brief self-reported PROMIS cognition screener (PRO-CS) into their workflows; and evaluate the effect of implementing brief standardized PRO-CS with interpretive guidance on primary care providers' behaviors. The control group will consist of all digital records of annual wellness visits in the year prior to implementation of the PRO-CS

Study Type

Observational

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • University of Pittsburg Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

65 years and older (Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

all patients aged 65 and older who completed annual wellness visits within the study period at participating clinics within the UPMC system

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • has AWV within study period

Exclusion Criteria:

  • provider uses non-digital AWV form

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
new screener group
patients completing annual wellness visits after the new screener is adopted by the UPMC health system
4 questions about cognitive function added to annual wellness visit protocol
pre screener group
patients completing annual wellness visits before the new screener is adopted by the UPMC health system

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
specialist referrals
Time Frame: within one month post AWV
referrals to specialists for cognitive impairment (e.g., neurology, social work, geriatrics) as found in patient EMR. Specialist referrals include neurology, neuropsychology, psychiatry, psychology, social worker, geriatrics.
within one month post AWV
diagnostic orders
Time Frame: within one month post AWV
diagnostic orders to rule out reversible causes of CI as found in patient EMR. Orders include those for TSH, B12, RPR, or head imaging
within one month post AWV

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Maria Edelen, PhD, RAND

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

June 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 19, 2024

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 19, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 30, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 27, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

April 7, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

December 3, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 25, 2025

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • HCQMI065
  • 5R61AG069776-02 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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