title: Errors in the scoring and reporting of cognitive screening instruments administered in primary care.
abstract: To measure the frequency of scoring and reporting errors in cognitive screening instruments administered in the primary care setting in consecutive referrals to a dedicated secondary care memory clinic.
  
  
  
  Using a simple ad hoc classification, referral letters from primary care mentioning cognitive screening instrument use were classified as: unequivocal, incorrect/ambiguous or incomplete.
  
  
  
  Overall, reported test scores were either ambiguous/incorrect or incomplete in 23% of cases, with higher individual frequencies for two screening instruments recommended for use in primary care, the Six-item Cognitive Impairment Test (26%) and the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (32%).
  
  
  
  Errors are not infrequent in the scoring and reporting of cognitive screening instruments administered in primary care. More training in their correct use and scoring is required.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Function Clinic, Walton Centre for Neurology & Neurosurgery, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool, L9 7LJ, UK.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cannon
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Function Clinic, Walton Centre for Neurology & Neurosurgery, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool, L9 7LJ, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Larner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: dementia; diagnosis; primary care; scoring errors; screening