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Instruments for screening for depression and dementia in a long-term care facility
Kafonek S, Ettinger WH, Roca R, Kittner S, Taylor N, German PS.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1989-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The high prevalence of mental disorders such as depression and dementia in institutionalized elderly patients warrants screening for psychiatric diagnosis in patients newly admitted to long-term care facilities. The diagnostic accuracy of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was evaluated against a standardized psychiatric interview. The MMSE was found to be 81% sensitive and 83% specific in screening for dementia using a previously established cutpoint of less than 24/30 points.
Key findings
- The diagnostic accuracy of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was evaluated against a standardized psychiatric interview.
- The MMSE was found to be 81% sensitive and 83% specific in screening for dementia using a previously established cutpoint of less than 24/30 points.
- Adjusting MMSE scores for physical disabilities precluding completion of specific tasks on the MMSE did not significantly change the diagnostic accuracy of the test.
- The GDS was 47% sensitive and 75% specific in screening for depression using the suggested cutpoint of greater than 13/30 points.
Why it matters
This study evaluated the accuracy of the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Geriatric Depression Scale for screening dementia and depression in newly admitted long-term care patients. It is about screening tools, not about treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 42/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1989 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 203 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.2 citations a year over 39 year(s) since 1989 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 10.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Pearl S. German: h-index 35 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 2642498) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 42 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Kafonek, S., Ettinger, W. H., Roca, R., Kittner, S., Taylor, N., & German, P. S. (1989). Instruments for screening for depression and dementia in a long-term care facility. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1989.tb01565.x
Vancouver
Kafonek S, Ettinger WH, Roca R, Kittner S, Taylor N, German PS. Instruments for screening for depression and dementia in a long-term care facility. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 1989. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.1989.tb01565.x. PMID: 2642498.
BibTeX
@article{kafonek1989-2642498,
author = {Kafonek, S. and Ettinger, W. H. and Roca, R. and Kittner, S. and Taylor, N. and German, P. S.},
title = {{Instruments for screening for depression and dementia in a long-term care facility}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {1989},
doi = {10.1111/j.1532-5415.1989.tb01565.x},
pmid = {2642498},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1989.tb01565.x}
}
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