Related Experiment Videos
Do elderly people score better on cognitive tests at home?
A L Shievitz1, F Tudiver, A Araujo
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre. pcru.dfcm.shsc@utoronto.ca
Canadian Family Physician Medecin De Famille Canadien
|August 29, 1998
Summary
Elderly patients score higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) when tested at home versus the clinic. This suggests caution when diagnosing cognitive impairment in primary care settings.
Area of Science:
- Geriatrics
- Primary Care
- Neuropsychology
Background:
- Cognitive impairment is a growing concern in the elderly population.
- The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a common tool for assessing cognitive function.
- Environmental factors may influence MMSE performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores in elderly family medicine patients tested at home versus in a clinic setting.
- To investigate the impact of testing location on cognitive assessment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional comparison study.
- 77 family practice patients aged 70+ participated.
- MMSE administered at home and clinic on the same day, with randomized testing order.
Main Results:
- Elderly patients achieved significantly higher MMSE scores when tested at home (P < .01).
- Five patients with low clinic scores had normal home scores, indicating potential false positives for impairment.
- Only 16.9% of the sample had low MMSE scores (< or = 24) in the clinic.
Conclusions:
- Home-based MMSE testing yields higher scores in elderly family medicine patients.
- Physicians should exercise caution interpreting clinic-based MMSE results to avoid misclassifying cognitive impairment.
- Home testing may reduce unnecessary specialist referrals and healthcare resource utilization.