Application
The Electroconvulsive Cognitive Assessment (ECA) is a 10-minute cognitive exam designed for use during and after Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). It focuses on assessing memory deficits associated with ECT, offering a quick and targeted evaluation tool for healthcare professionals.
Key Benefits
- Rapid cognitive assessment in under 10 minutes.
- Tailored evaluation of memory deficits caused by ECT.
- Incorporates seven memory components, including subjective and objective measures.
Market Summary
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) has been a standard psychiatric procedure since the 1940s, experiencing fluctuations in popularity. Despite its effectiveness in severe psychiatric cases, such as major depression and catatonia, ECT's resurgence has highlighted the need for improved assessment tools. Current cognitive evaluation tools, like MoCA and MMSE, fall short in addressing specific memory deficits caused by ECT. The Electroconvulsive Cognitive Assessment (ECA) fills this gap by providing a concise and focused evaluation tool.
Technical Summary
Designed by Adriana Hermida, MD, the Director of ECT Therapy at Emory's Wesley Woods, the ECA is a 30-point scale test assessing temporal orientation, subjective and objective memory, attention, recall, autobiographical memory, and impersonal memory. The test is intended for use during and after ECT sessions, offering a quick yet comprehensive evaluation of memory functions impacted by the therapy.
Development Stage
The tool has been published in the public domain and is free to access and use.