Deployment of Tablet‐based Cognitive Assessment Tool (TabCAT) for detecting cognitive impairment in elderly Primary Health Care Population in Southeast Nigeria

Abstract Background Cognitive assessment should be actively incorporated into the clinical evaluation of patients in Primary Health Care (PHC) settings. This is because of the imminent demand with the changing demographics especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) concerning dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Method A cross‐sectional mixed‐method descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the useability and performance of a tablet‐based cognitive assessment tool (TabCAT) for use in geriatric primary healthcare settings in southeast Nigeria. Result In our study involving 207 participants, with an average age of 64.69 years, educational levels varied, with 51.8% having primary education, 41.2% secondary, and 6.6% tertiary. The research found that education had a significant positive impact on associative memory, processing speed, executive function, language skills, and visuospatial skills (p<0.001). Rural residents exhibited higher scores in associative memory, processing speed, executive function, language, and visuospatial skills (p<0.000). However, gender and location did not show significant contributions to cognitive performance across the examined domains. Conclusion There is an urgent need to deploy and routinely conduct cognitive assessments in primary healthcare clinics for elderly patients for early detection of cognitive changes to improve healthy living.