title: Clock drawing in the screening assessment of cognitive impairment in an ambulatory care setting: a preliminary report.
abstract: In an exploratory study to assess the utility of clock drawing as a screening test for cognitive impairment in medical/surgical outpatients, clock drawing and the 6-item Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test (OMCT) were administered to over 400 randomly selected ambulatory patients over the age of 55 in a busy inner-city hospital. The clock drawing test was completed by 431 patients, and 471 completed the OMCT. Clock drawing errors suggestive of moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment were found in 42.7% of patients; OMCT errors suggestive of moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment were found in 35.4% of the population tested. The clock drawing test might represent a quick-screen for cognitive impairment in an older general medical/surgical outpatient population, and might help identify patients not otherwise recognized as potentially unable to fully understand treatment recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Service, VA Medical Center, Washington, D.C. 20422.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Huntzinger
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Rosse
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Deutsch
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013998:Time Perception