title: Comparison of clock drawing with Mini Mental State Examination as a screening test in elderly acute hospital admissions.
abstract: Clock drawing is a quick, easy to remember test that is well received by patients. It is a good screening test for Alzheimer's disease in the outpatient setting. We evaluated its usefulness compared with the standard Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) in elderly acute medical and surgical hospital admissions. Within 48 hours of admission, 117 patients over 70 years old were administered the MMSE and asked to draw a clock. Using the MMSE as the standard, clock drawing had a sensitivity of 77% and a specificity of 87%. Patients with discrepant scores were then further evaluated. The findings suggest that normal clock drawing ability reasonably excludes cognitive impairment or other causes of an abnormal MMSE in elderly acute medical and surgical hospital admissions, where cognitive impairment is common and frequently missed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine/Medicine, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Death
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kenny
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales