Estimating the cognitive ability of nursing home residents from the minimum data set

Two methods have been developed for using the Minimum Data Set (MDS) to estimate cognitive ability, the Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS) and the MDS Cognition Scale (MSD-COGS). The relative utility of the two scales was compared by correlating them with the Mini-Mental State Exam the Global Deterioration Scale in a sample of 290 nursing home residents with a mean age of 87 years. Both the CPS and the MDS-COGS related quite strongly to the Mini-Mental State Exam and to the Global Deterioration Scale, with the MDS-COGS correlating at slightly higher levels than the CPS. The CPS and the MDS-COGS both provide a simple, straightforward method of assessing cognitive function that is easy to understand and clinically meaningful. Because both are derived from the MDS, administration costs, as compared with that of the Mini-Mental State Exam or the Global Deterioration Scale, are also substantially lower. Inasmuch as the data are already available and the procedure is so simple (particularly with the MDS-COGS), it might be of benefit to include a computation of cognitive function as part of the MDS profile.