The KICA Screen: the psychometric properties of a shortened version of the KICA (Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment).

Aim:   To describe the development and psychometric properties of the KICA (Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment) Screen.

Methods:   A short 10-item version of the KICA, the KICA screen was developed from original data of 363 Aboriginal people. The KICA Screen was subsequently independently validated in a non-random sample of 55 people living in Northern Queensland.

Results:   In the original sample the KICA Screen showed an optimal cut-point score of 21/22 (out of a score of 25), and resulted in a sensitivity of 95.6% and specificity of 88.6% with AUC of 0.95 (95% CI 0.91-0.98). This cut point was subsequently tested on 55 people living in Northern Queensland, with a sensitivity of 82.4% and specificity of 88.5% for the diagnosis of dementia, and the area under the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve was 0.87 (95% CI 0.77-0.97).

Conclusions:   The KICA Screen is a valid and acceptable screening tool among Indigenous Australians living in remote and rural areas of Australia.