title: Practical application of brief cognitive tests.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brief cognitive tests (BCT) may help detect cognitive impairment (CI) in the clinical setting. Several BCT have been developed and/or validated in our country, but we lack specific recommendations for use.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of studies on the diagnostic accuracy of BCT for CI, using studies conducted in Spain with BCT which take less than 20 min. We provide recommendations of use based on expert consensus and established on the basis of BCT characteristics and study results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Fototest, the Memory Impairment Screen (MIS) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) are the preferred options in primary care; other BCT (Clock Drawing Test [CDT], test of verbal fluency [TVF]) may also be administered in cases of negative results with persistent suspected CI or concern (stepwise approach). In the specialised care setting, a systematic assessment of the different cognitive domains should be conducted using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the MMSE, the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment, the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination, or by means of a stepwise or combined approach involving more simple tests (CDT, TVF, Fototest, MIS, Memory Alteration Test, Eurotest). Associating an informant questionnaire (IQ) with the BCT is superior to the BCT alone for the detection of CI. The choice of instruments will depend on the patient's characteristics, the clinician's experience, and available time. The BCT and IQ must reinforce - but never substitute - clinical judgment, patient-doctor communication, and inter-professional dialogue.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olazarán
authors.affiliation: Centro de Salud Pedro Laín Entralgo, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Alcorcón, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hoyos-Alonso
authors.affiliation: Centro Alzheimer Fundación Reina Sofía-Fundación CIEN, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: del Ser
authors.affiliation: Centro de Salud Universitario Barrio del Pilar, Unidad Docente Norte, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garrido Barral
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Conde-Sala
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bermejo-Pareja
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurología, Hospital Josep Trueta, Girona, España; Unidad de Valoración de la Memoria y Demencias, Instituto de Asistencia Sanitaria, Salt, Girona, España.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: López-Pousa
authors.affiliation: Sección de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Infanta Cristina, Parla, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pérez-Martínez
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villarejo-Galende
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Demencia, Hospital de la Santísima Trinidad, Salamanca, España.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cacho
authors.affiliation: Sección de Neurología, Hospital Infanta Leonor, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Interna, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Reina Sofía, Tudela, Navarra, España.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oliveros-Cid
authors.affiliation: Sección de Neurología de la Conducta y Demencias, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peña-Casanova
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Neurología Cognitiva y Conductual, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, España; FIDYAN Neurocenter, Granada, España. Electronic address: ccarnero@neurocenter.es.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carnero-Pardo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Atención especializada; Atención primaria; Brief cognitive tests; Cognitive impairment; Cribado; Detección; Detection; Deterioro cognitivo; Primary care; Screening; Specialised care; Test cognitivos breves