Mini Mental Status Examination

Mini Mental Status Examination

Meaning

            Mini Mental Status Examination is a tool to assess the cognitive function of an individual. It was put forward by Folstein MF & McHugh PR

Indications

·         Identify the cognitive impairment level

·         Screen cases with dementia

·         A small measure to assess the attention, memory and other cognitive areas

Components

Components in MMSE includes

·         Orientation (10 points)

·         Registration(3 points)

·         Attention & Calculation(5 points)

·         Recall(3 points)

·         Language & Praxis (9 points)

Tool

It consists of 19 questions and which can’t be modified or used without the permission of the author. Its score ranges between 0 to 30.

(Refer tool Download pdf file here)

Limitations

·         It is only a screening tool not a diagnostic tool

·         Education and language skill can affect the scores.

·         Can’t be used in patients without basic education