REC Scholar, Ashwin Kotwal, publishes his article "Integration of an Objective Cognitive Assessment Into a Prognostic Index for 5-Year Mortality Prediction"

UCSF Pepper REC Scholar, Dr. Ashwin Kotwal, publishes with his research team, Drs. Sei Lee, William Dale, John Boscardin, Linda Waite, and Alex Smith, their article titled "Integration of an Objective Cognitive Assessment Into a Prognostic Index for 5-Year Mortality Prediction." 

Because prognostic indices rarely include cognition, Dr. Kotwal and his research team determined if a comprehensive cognitive screen or brief individual items were associated with improved mortality predictions of a widely used prognostic index. To study this, they used the National Social Life Health and Aging Project Wave 2, a nationally representative, cross-sectional, in-home survey conducted in 2010 to 2011 on 3,199 community-dwelling adults aged 60 to 99 years. In conclusion, they found that incorporating a brief measure of cognition into a modified Lee index, even with single items, resulted in more accurate 5-year mortality risk predictions. Cognition should be included in prognostic calculators in older adults given its independent association with mortality risk.

Read the article here

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