Abbreviated mental test score
Abbreviated mental test score | |
---|---|
Purpose | determine dementia in the elderly |
The Abbreviated Mental Test score (AMTS) is a 10-point test for rapidly assessing elderly patients for the possibility of dementia. It was first used in 1972,[1][2] and is now sometimes also used to assess for mental confusion (including delirium) and other cognitive impairments.
A 4-item version called the Abbreviated Mental Test - 4 (AMT4) has been developed and tested.[3]
Questionnaire
[edit]The following questions are put to the patient. Each question correctly answered scores one point. A score of 7–8 or less suggests cognitive impairment at the time of testing,[4] although further and more formal tests are necessary to confirm a diagnosis of dementia, delirium or other causes of cognitive impairment. Culturally-specific questions may vary based on region.[4]
Question[2] | Score |
---|---|
What is your age? (1 point) | |
What is the time to the nearest hour? (1 point) | |
Give the patient an address, and ask him or her to repeat it at the end of the test. (1 point)
e.g. 42 West Street |
|
What is the year? (1 point) | |
What is the name of this place (e.g. hospital) (1 point) | |
Can the patient recognize two persons (the doctor, nurse, home help, etc.)? (1 point) | |
What is your date of birth? (day and month sufficient) (1 point) | |
In what year did World War 2 end? (1 point)
(other dates can be used, with a preference for dates some time in the past.) |
|
Name the current President/Prime Minister/Monarch. (1 point) | |
Count backwards from 20 down to 1. (1 point) |
Abbreviated Mental Test - 4 (AMT4)
[edit]The AMT4 uses 4 items from the AMTS: (i) What is your age? (ii) What is your date of birth? (iii) What is the name of this place? (iv) What is the year? A cut off score of 3/4 performs comparably to an AMTS cut-off score of 8/9.[3] The AMT4 is part of the 4AT scale for delirium.
See also
[edit]- General Practitioner Assessment Of Cognition – a brief screening tool for cognitive impairment designed for primary care
- GERRI
- Mini-mental state examination
References
[edit]- ^ Peters, KA; Howe, TJ; Rossiter, D; Hutchinson, KJ; Rosell, PA (2021). "The Abbreviated Mental Test Score; Is There a Need for a Contemporaneous Update?". Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation. 12: 21514593211001047. doi:10.1177/21514593211001047. PMC 8634377. PMID 34868721.
- ^ a b Hodkinson, HM (November 1972). "Evaluation of a mental test score for assessment of mental impairment in the elderly". Age and Ageing. 1 (4): 233–8. doi:10.1093/ageing/1.4.233. PMID 4669880.
- ^ a b I, Schofield; Dj, Stott; D, Tolson; A, McFadyen; J, Monaghan; D, Nelson (December 2010). "Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Older People Attending Accident and Emergency Using the 4-item Abbreviated Mental Test". European Journal of Emergency Medicine. 17 (6): 340–342. doi:10.1097/MEJ.0b013e32833777ab. PMID 20164778. S2CID 12321807. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ a b Lam, Simon C.; Wong, Yuet-ying; Woo, Jean (2010-11-01). "Reliability and Validity of the Abbreviated Mental Test (Hong Kong Version) in Residential Care Homes". Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 58 (11): 2255–2257. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.03129.x. ISSN 1532-5415. PMID 21054326. S2CID 44719720.