Seven minute screen performance in a normal elderly sample.
OBJECTIVE
The Seven Minute Screen (7MS) is a brief cognitive case-finding instrument for dementia. The test is composed of four subtests that assess performance with regard to orientation, memory, visuospatial ability and language. The objective of this study was to describe 7MS performance in a normal sample of people aged 65 years and older.


METHODS
The subjects were 66 Norwegian community-dwellers who met selection criteria modified from the Mayo Older American Normative Studies standard. Mean age was 73.2 years, age range was 65-93 years, and mean Mini-Mental State Examination score was 29.06, range 26-30.


RESULTS
Analysis of the 7MS subtests revealed relatively modest influence of age, education and gender on test performance. The composite 7MS performance scores were associated with education. Normal performance was expressed as means, standard deviations and percentile values for the age groups 65-74 years and 75 + years.


CONCLUSIONS
7MS performance is described for a normal sample. These data have the potential to increase the clinicians' ability to interpret 7MS test results.
Skjerve
Arvid
A
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. arvid.skjerve@olaviken.no
Nordhus
Inger Hilde
IH
Engedal
Knut
K
Pallesen
Ståle
S
Braekhus
Anne
A
Nygaard
Harald A
HA
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008609:Mental Status Schedule / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009664:Norway; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results