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Bedside cognitive screening to detect dementia and predict poor outcomes in hospitals
Márlon Juliano Romero Aliberti, Thiago Junqueira Avelino‐Silva, Kenneth E. Covinsky, Laiss Bertola, Regina Miksian Magaldi, Esther S. Oh, Christopher R. Carpenter, Maria Aparecida Camargos Bicalho et al.. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2026-03-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Dementia prevalence was 22%, with 35% undiagnosed. Both tools showed good accuracy for detecting dementia, with the 10-CS slightly more accurate than SPMSQ (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.87 vs 0.85; p = 0.02). After adjustment, cognitive impairment detected by either tool was associated with increased risk of incident delirium, hospital-associated disability in self-care activities, and 90-day mortality, but not prolonged stay. Brief bedside screening identified dementia and predicted adverse outcomes, supporting its integration into routine hospital care.
Key findings
- Dementia prevalence was 22%, with 35% undiagnosed.
- Both tools showed good accuracy for detecting dementia, with the 10-CS slightly more accurate than SPMSQ (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.87 vs 0.85; p = 0.02).
- After adjustment, cognitive impairment detected by either tool was associated with increased risk of incident delirium, hospital-associated disability in self-care activities, and 90-day mortality, but not prolonged stay.
- Brief bedside screening identified dementia and predicted adverse outcomes, supporting its integration into routine hospital care.
Why it matters
Brief bedside cognitive screening detected dementia with good accuracy and identified patients at higher risk of delirium, hospital-associated disability, and 90-day mortality. This supports integrating screening into routine hospital care, but it is a detection tool rather than a treatment or cure.
Study details
- Study designprospective cohort
- Participants2,003
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 54/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a prospective cohort study, followed forward from enrollment. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 52 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 54 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A prospective cohort study, followed forward from enrollment |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 2,003 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 1 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.5 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author the CHANGE Study Group holds only 1 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 9 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41856965) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 52 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 52 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 54 out of 100. |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Aliberti, M. J. R., Avelino‐Silva, T. J., Covinsky, K. E., Bertola, L., Magaldi, R. M., Oh, E. S., et al. (2026). Bedside cognitive screening to detect dementia and predict poor outcomes in hospitals. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71289
Vancouver
Aliberti MJR, Avelino‐Silva TJ, Covinsky KE, Bertola L, Magaldi RM, Oh ES, et al. Bedside cognitive screening to detect dementia and predict poor outcomes in hospitals. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2026. doi:10.1002/alz.71289. PMID: 41856965.
BibTeX
@article{aliberti2026-41856965,
author = {Aliberti, Márlon Juliano Romero and Avelino‐Silva, Thiago Junqueira and Covinsky, Kenneth E. and Bertola, Laiss and Magaldi, Regina Miksian and Oh, Esther S. and Carpenter, Christopher R. and Bicalho, Maria Aparecida Camargos and others},
title = {{Bedside cognitive screening to detect dementia and predict poor outcomes in hospitals}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1002/alz.71289},
pmid = {41856965},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71289}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.