Test-retest and interrater reliability of Barcelona test

Introduction. The short version of the Barcelona Test is a clinical tool that covers a wide spectrum of neuropsychological skills. Since its creation in 1977, it has often been subject of study either for its internal aspects or in validation studies with other cognitive tests. The results indicate that the Barcelona Test is a useful instrument in detecting cognitive impairment. Method. The aim of this study is to measure the test-retest reliability and the interrater reliability of the Abbreviated Barcelona Test in normal population. Sample: the sample consists of 31 normal subjects (14 men and 17 women) from 20 to 65 years old. Instruments: Abbreviated Barcelona Test (TBA), Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Syndrome-Kurztest (SKT) and Interview for Deterioration of Daily living in Dementia (IDDD). Statistical analysis: descriptive statistics and intraclass correlation coefficient. Results. Test-retest reliability shows good intraclass correlation coefficients with both direct ICC=0.92 (IC 95%: 0.85-0.96) or typified scores ICC=0.79 (IC 95%: 0.61-0.89). Nevertheless, when each of the subtests is considered, correlations clearly show two characteristics: subtest with no or minimal range of scores and subtest with distribution of scores (as is the case of memory and executive function). The intraclass coefficient found for the interrater reliability is ICC =0.99 (IC 95 %: 0.99-0.99) and an alpha of 0.99 which indicate excellent reliability. As a whole, the abbreviated version of the Barcelona Test has excellent test-retest and interrater reliability psychometric characteristics.