Brazilian version of the Cornell depression scale in dementia

Objective: Translating and adapting the Cornell scale for depression in dementia to the Portuguese language and verifying the interrater and test-retest reliability of the translated and adapted version. Method: The Cornell scale was translated into Portuguese and back translated into English. Divergences of translation were identified and discussed, resulting in a version which was submitted to 4 pre-test for cross-cultural adaptation. the final version was administered to a sample of 29 patients with probable AD and to their caregivers. Results: The Cornell Scale presented good interrater (Kappa=0,77; p < 0,001) and test-retest reliability (Kappa=0,76; p < 0,001). The final version was easy to administer and well understood by the caregivers. Conclusion: The Brazilian version of the Cornell Scale is an instrument with good reliability to evaluate depression in patients with dementia. This tool will contribute to the evaluation and follow-up of depressed patients with dementia in our population and may also be used in multicentric studies with Brazilian population..