An analysis of the influence of education level on Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) scores among stroke patients.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the influence of education level on scores in the Mandarin Chinese version of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) among stroke patients and to provide guidance regarding the application and optimisation of the RUDAS.

Methods: A total of 235 stroke patients were census sampled for an evaluation of cognitive function using the Mandarin Chinese version of the RUDAS. A test was carried out to analyze the differences in RUDAS scores between sexes, and one-way analysis of variance and the Scheffe multiple comparison test were used to analyze the differences in RUDAS scores between age groups and between education levels. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis was performed using logistic regression. If P < 0.05, then an item was considered to exhibit DIF.

Results: The overall education levels of the stroke patients were moderate. There was no significant difference in RUDAS scores based on education level or sex, but there was a difference between age groups. There were three items that exhibited DIF: square, internal line and external line.

Conclusion: RUDAS scores were not strongly influenced by education level, and most items were suitable for screening among stroke patients with different education levels. However, when drawing a cube, differences in education level should be taken into consideration.