Triple task Clock Completion Test (CCT) as a predictor of functional outcome in geriatric rehabilitation

Cognitive status is considered as a predictor of the rehabilitation outcome. The triple task Clock Completion Test (CCT), which evaluates visuospatial skill, has been demonstrated to be a sensitive predictor of functional capacity. The objective of the study was to test the predictive validity of the CCT for assessing functional outcome in geriatric rehabilitation. Functional evaluation using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and cognitive evaluation using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) as well as the CCT, were performed in 77 elderly patients (35 men, 42 women, median age 81.5 years) on admission and discharge. Significant positive coefficients of correlation were found between the admission and discharge CCT scores, and negative coefficients, between CCT and FIM scores, both on admission and discharge. CCT and MMSE scores correlated significantly just on admission. The MMSE and the FIM scores were significantly higher among those who succeeded than in those who failed on the CCT in the task of setting the hour on admission and discharge, whereas in the task of reading the hour, just on admission. The triple task CCT is a sensitive tool for identifying cognitive impairment affecting the executive functions and an important functional outcome predictor.