Accuracy of recall memory in elderly patients in response to telephone support calls

During the Gulf War, 93 elderly patients (mean age 74 years) received telep hone-based support calls from a hospital-based home care facility. Accuracy of memory recall of these telephone support calls was assessed 6 weeks aft er the termination of the war by means of a postal questionnaire. The relat ive accuracy of the recall memory of these patients or their caregivers to the telephone calls received exhibited a sensitivity of 75%, a specificity of 78%, a positive predictive value of 60% and a negative predictive value of 88%. Patients who had received four calls demonstrated better memory rec all than those receiving less than four. Thus, relying upon patient's memor y alone may be insufficient for evaluating survey data in the elderly. In a ddition, we found that only patients who correctly remembered receiving fou r individual telephone support calls tended to exhibit a decrease in the an xiety level. This study emphasizes the importance of repeated interventiona l telephone calls as a method of increasing recall accuracy and decreasing anxiety in aged patients. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.