| This study sought to systematically and quantitatively measure changes in cognitive functioning and everyday cognitive capacities that occur in patients undergoing BMT. Written informed consent was obtained from 28 adult patients. All patients were tested prior to BMT and again following their discharge. Primary tests administered included the following: the Health and Safety subscale of the Independent Living Scales (Loeb, 1996), the Hopkins Competency Assessment Test (Janofsky, McCarthy, & Folstein, 1992b), the Mini-Mental State Examination (Folstein, Folstein & McHugh, 1975), and the Trail Making Test Part B (Lezak, 1995). Primary hypotheses were explored through matched t tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and multiple regression analysis. With α = .05, a-priori power was estimated to be in excess of .80. The sample was generally intact (MMSE M > 28 at admission and discharge), and a ceiling effect was evident in all primary measures. Cognitive functioning and everyday cognitive capacities were no different at discharge than at admission for the group as a whole. Among this high-functioning sample, deficits in cognitive functioning did not significantly impact patient ability to manage their homes, health, or capacity to consent. However, two subjects failed to pass the capacity-to-consent screen at pretest and were dropped from the study. Furthermore, a minority of patients scored below cut scores for mild impairment at pretest, posttest, or both. At posttest, 25% of subjects scored below cut scores on at least one scale. Fatigue, which was substantially greater at posttest than pretest (d = 1.02), was implicated as a primary correlate of posttest impairment. |
