Just like modern word processors allow us to rapidly create beautiful
documents, our testing software is all about supporting
clinicians so they achieve better patient care while improving efficiency.
How it works
Our neuropsychological tests are suitable for medical applications, including clinical trials,
and other 'serious' applications, such as personel selection, personel safety assessment,
screening, smart surveys, etc.
Some of our tests are classics, like the
Digit Span or Trial Making Test, others are brand new.
We also intend to offer 'rarely used' test, like tests for retrograde amnesia or prosopagnosia.
All tests have instructions and norms just like paper-and-pencil tests.
Because of the online nature of the tests, many of the tests will continue to accumulate
norm data over the years and thus improve through use.
We don't believe that very impaired patients should merely put behind a computer screen
and run through a test battery by themselves. In fact, there are three ways
in which patients can be tested with our online tests.
1. Mediated entry
This is what most neuropsychologists in the clinic use today.
The clinician mediates between the patient and the computer, asking questions and entering the responses into the computer.
The patients may hardly notice that a computer with an online test is used. Yet, the data is immediately stored securely (though it may be edited later) and there is no need for cumbersome tallying afterwards.
2. Direct interaction
This is suitable for certain patient groups and tests. The patient is given detailed instructions by the neuropsychologist and after asserting that he
has understood them and some example trials, he takes the test directly on a desktop computer
or tablet.
For patients who have some experience with computers this may result in better measurements
than mediated entry of data. For example, reaction times will be much more reliable, and tests
like the Trail Making Test can be done almost like with paper-and-pencil.
With tests like the Corsi Blocks, scoring mistakes are a thing of the past. And tallying of
results is of course not necessary either.
3. Home testing
With unmonitored home testing,
patients are directed to a website where they can take a selection of tests at home.
This approach can only be taken with patients who are not very impaired and who have sufficient
computer experience.
For relatively healthy patients, a complete online neurological assessment battery may be
taken in this manner and a full report can
be generated automatically.
This approach is suitable as a
pretest before testing in the clinic, for cases where no neuropsychologist can be present
such as on ships or other remote locations, combat situations, etc. It is also
suitable for continous monitoring of at-risk populations. We are currently studying this
approach in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, screening for mild cognitive
impairments the may develop in the course of treatment. Earlier research like this concerned
the effects of heart-lung machines and the effects of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT).
Home testing may furthermore be used with clinical trials.