Validation of the abbreviated zarit scales for measuring burden syndrome in the primary caregiver of an elderly patient

Objective: To determine which abbreviated Zarit Scale (ZS) better evaluates the burden of the caregiver of an elderly patient in Medellin, Colombia. Design: Validation study. Setting: Primary Care setting in the city of Medellin. Participants: Primary caregiver of dependent elderly patients over 65 years old. Principal measurements: Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for the different abbreviated Zarit scales, plus performing a reliability analysis using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Results: The abbreviated scales obtained a sensitivity of between 36.84 and 81.58%, specificity between 95.99 and 100%, positive predictive values between 71.05 and 100%, and negative predictive values of between 91.64 and 97.42%. Conclusions: The scale that better determined caregiver burden in Primary Care was the Bedard Screening scale, with a sensitivity of 81.58%, a specificity of 96.35% and positive and negative predictive values of 75.61% and 97.42%, respectively. (C) 2010 Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.