Abstract
Objective: To familiarize the consultant pharmacist with the use of the Mini-Cog as a rapid screening tool for the assessment of dementia and outline currently available evidence regarding the validity of this screening tool within the community. Data Sources: MEDLINE (1990-December 2006) and Web of Science (1995-December 2006) were searched for original research and review articles published in English. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Relevant literature regarding use of the Mini-Cog. Data Synthesis: There exists a growing literature base regarding the clinical use of the Mini-Cog. Dementia within the elderly ambulatory population remains largely unrecognized. A rapid screening tool such as the Mini-Cog is a valuable instrument for health care practitioners, including consultant pharmacists, within the community to identify patients with possible cognitive impairment. Conclusion: The Mini-Cog provides pharmacists with an easy and effective tool for the screening of dementia within assisted living, long-term care, and community-dwelling populations. Abbreviations: AD = Alzheimer's disease, CASI = Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument, DSM-IV = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV, MMSE = Mini-Mental State Examination.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 855-861 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Consultant Pharmacist |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2007 |
Keywords
- Alzheimer's disease
- Dementia
- Mini-Cog
- Screening tool