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Lighthouse-SA: Lighthouse sustained-attention test

2020

A smartphone-delivered test of awareness, focused attention and sustained attention developed for delirium-relevant cognitive assessment. The sustained-attention section was most informative, but the tool does not establish acute onset, fluctuation or cause.

At a glance

Purpose
Domain-specific or adjunctive measure
Population
Adult
Setting
General / acute hospital
Time
brief smartphone cognitive test; exact total completion time not reported
Score or threshold
Study-defined pass/fail performance for the sustained-attention component

Format: The Lighthouse test presents a standardised visual stimulus through an Android smartphone across three broad sections. This page describes domains and evidence only; the exact stimulus sequences and scoring procedure remain in the open primary article.

Primary validation papers

1 identified diagnostic-accuracy paper

Other forms of validation are described in the evidence section. What is counted?

Large-scale clinical implementation

Not yet reviewed.

A focused implementation review has not yet been completed for this profile.

Training and instructions

Public training resources have not yet been confirmed in this review. Check the linked developer or original source for instructions.

Start here

Tool and original sources

This record describes a method rather than a downloadable bedside form. The main source is linked below.

Read the full paper ↗

Original paper

  • Original paperMeagher DJ, O'Connell H, Leonard M, Williams O, Awan F, Exton C, et al. Comparison of novel tools with traditional cognitive tests in detecting delirium in elderly medical patients. World journal of psychiatry. 2020;10(4):46-58. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v10.i4.46. PMID: 32399398.

    This is the original published source for Lighthouse-SA. It reported sensitivity of 84.6% and specificity of 63.2% against a DSM-IV clinical assessment.

    Open PubMed ↗Download article PDF ↓

    Article PDF: CC BY-NC. This licence applies to the article PDF and does not grant rights to reproduce the tool.

One DTA study identifiedEmerging clinical record
Classification

Classification

Domain-specific or adjunctive measureCognitive tests designed for delirium

A tool may belong to more than one category. Select a linked category to see other relevant profiles.

Evidence

Diagnostic-accuracy evidenceOne DTA study identified

Reported sensitivity and specificity

Headline metric source

Original/source study · 2020; pmid:32399398

Denominator
Reported source unit: 180 (analysis unit not fully reconciled)
Reference standard
Full neuropsychiatric reference using DSM-IV and/or DRS-R98 ≥15
84.6%
Sensitivity
63.2%
Specificity

Performance of the sustained-attention component in a referred older inpatient sample

More evidence and citation details
Full name
Lighthouse sustained-attention test
Also known as
LH-SA, Lighthouse sustained attention
Related profiles
DelApp, DelBox
Evidence summary
single-cross-sectional-discrimination-study
Diagnostic-accuracy evaluations
1
Reference standard
Full neuropsychiatric reference using DSM-IV and/or DRS-R98 ≥15
Citation
Meagher DJ, O'Connell H, Leonard M, Williams O, Awan F, Exton C, Tenorio M, O'Connor M, Dunne CP, Cullen W, McFarland J, Adamis D Comparison of novel tools with traditional cognitive tests in detecting delirium in elderly medical patients World journal of psychiatry. 2020;10(4):46-58. PMID 32399398
Download RIS ↗ Download BibTeX ↗

Primary validation studies

Distinct primary publications from the current diagnostic-accuracy audit. Reviews and repeated evaluations within one paper are not counted again. Overlapping cohorts have not all been reconciled. Read the counting rules and limitations.

Open 1 identified paper
  1. Meagher DJ, O'Connell H, Leonard M, Williams O, Awan F, Exton C, Tenorio M, O'Connor M, Dunne CP, Cullen W, McFarland J, Adamis D (2020). Comparison of novel tools with traditional cognitive tests in detecting delirium in elderly medical patients. World journal of psychiatry.

    Reference category: other comparator or secondary accuracy evidence.

Copyright and reuse
Information checked
2026-07-19

Instrument-specific terms apply. See the access and copyright policy or send a correction.

Base clinical review: 2026-07-29. Instrument description source check: 2026-09-05. Scope and limitations.