An Investigation of the Druid® Smartphone/Tablet App as a Rapid Screening Assessment for Cognitive and Psychomotor Impairment Associated with Alcohol Intoxication

Abstract

Background Neuropsychological tests have been used for years to determine impairments in cognitive and motor functions. There have been increases in impairment related to the abuse of alcohol and/or drugs related to driving. Recently, there has been an increased use of the Smartphone/Tablet applications for neurocognitive impairment testing. The DRUID® test is intended to identify and measure impairment from alcohol and various drugs by measuring changes in divided attention, decision making, reaction time, motor tracking, and balance movements control. We investigated the application of The DRUID® test as a potential rapid screening for cognitive and psychomotor impairment as a function of specific levels of alcohol that are known to have an effect on driving and job performance. Methods There were 48 volunteer drinkers, (Mean age 30[5.36])19 females -29 males who were administered a two minute DRUID® test pre and post drinking alcohol in a controlled dosage setting. Breath testing for alcohol was performed confirming absence of alcohol (Pre DRUDI®) and the when dosing exceeded the legal intoxication level for alcohol in Massachusetts (Blood Alcohol Content BAC 0.08%). Results DRUID® post drinking scores were significantly higher (worse) than DRUID® pre drinking. Higher scores on the BAC and DRUID® correspond to higher intoxication and associated impairment. There were no significant differences by gender for any of the central variables. A repeated measures t-test comparing DRUID® pre and post alcohol BAC scores revealed a highly significant (t(47) = 34.5, p < .0001), difference in pre- and post DRUID® scores (t(47) = 8.68, p < .0001). Conclusions The DRUID® test is a compelling and useful Smartphone/Tablet based candidate as a rapid screening test for identifying cognitive and psychomotor impairment associated with the intoxication level of alcohol and effects on driving.