iCAMS: Assessing the reliability of a Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) tablet application

Background: This study aimed to develop a Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) tablet application, "iCAMS, " and examine equivalency between the original paper-based and the tablet-based assessments. Methods: This study enrolled 100 participants with physician-confirmed multiple sclerosis (MS). Interrater reliability, parallel forms reliability, and concurrent validity were evaluated by incorporating two test administrators in each session: one scoring participant responses with the original paper assessments and the other with iCAMS. Although the participant was exposed to the material only once, responses were recorded on both administration methods. In addition to the standard test procedures, each research assistant used a stopwatch to measure the amount of time required to administer and score each version of BICAMS. Results: Pearson correlation coefficients (r) revealed strong and significant correlations for all three tests. Excellent agreement was observed between iCAMS and paper versions of the BICAMS tests, with all intraclass correlation coefficients exceeding 0.93. The scores from all the cognitive tests were not statistically significantly different, indicating no proportional bias. Including scoring, administration of the iCAMS application saved approximately 10 minutes over the paper version. Conclusions: Preliminary findings suggest that the tablet application iCAMS is a reliable and fast method for administering BICAMS.