Abbreviated mental test score
Purposedetermine 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

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)

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

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.


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