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Development and validation of the Memory Orientation Screening Test (MOST™): A better screening test for dementia
Mitchell I Clionsky1, Emilymarie Clionsky
1Clionsky Neuro Systems, Springfield, MA, USA. mitch@cns-neuro.com
Objectives:
Accurate, economical identification of cognitive impairment would increase dementia detection and improve care of older patients.
Design:
Analysis of archival neuropsychological data combined 3-word recall, time orientation, list memory, and clock drawing into the Memory Orientation Screening Test (MOST ™). The MOST was compared with Folstein Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Mini-Cog to detect dementia presence and severity, and convergence with standardized neuropsychological tests. Internal consistency, retest reliabilities, completion likelihood, and time costs were calculated.
Results:
The MOST was significantly more sensitive than MMSE or Mini-Cog, twice as accurate as MMSE for identifying mild dementia, better correlated with standardized memory tests, more reliable over time, and minimally related to depression.
Conclusions:
The MOST is routinely administered in less than 5 minutes by a medical assistant, more accurately identifies dementia and severity than current screening tests, and emulates longer memory testing, making it valuable for Annual Wellness Visits and many applied clinical settings.
