Home › Research › Getting a diagnosis
Limits of the 'Mini-Mental State' as a screening test for dementia and delirium among hospital patients
Anthony JC, LeResche L, Niaz U, von Korff MR, Folstein MF.. Psychological medicine, 1982-05-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
With a psychiatrist's standardized clinical diagnosis as the criterion, the 'Mini-Mental State' Examination (MMSE) was 87% sensitive and 82% specific in detecting dementia and delirium among hospital patients on a general medical ward. The false positive ratio was 39% and the false negative ratio was 5%. All false positives had less than 9 years of education; many were 60 years of age or older. Performance on specific MMSE items was related to education or age. These findings confirm the MMSE's value as a screen instrument for dementia and delirium when later, more intensive diagnostic enquiry is possible; they reinforce earlier suggestions that the MMSE alone cannot yield a diagnosis for these conditions.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Anthony, J. C., LeResche, L., Niaz, U., von Korff, M. R., & Folstein, M. F. (1982). Limits of the 'Mini-Mental State' as a screening test for dementia and delirium among hospital patients. Psychological medicine. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291700046730
Vancouver
Anthony JC, LeResche L, Niaz U, von Korff MR, Folstein MF. Limits of the 'Mini-Mental State' as a screening test for dementia and delirium among hospital patients. Psychological medicine. 1982. doi:10.1017/s0033291700046730. PMID: 7100362.
BibTeX
@article{anthony1982-7100362,
author = {Anthony, J. C. and LeResche, L. and Niaz, U. and von Korff, M. R. and Folstein, M. F.},
title = {{Limits of the 'Mini-Mental State' as a screening test for dementia and delirium among hospital patients}},
journal = {Psychological medicine},
year = {1982},
doi = {10.1017/s0033291700046730},
pmid = {7100362},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291700046730}
}
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.
Key findings
- These findings confirm the MMSE's value as a screen instrument for dementia and delirium when later, more intensive diagnostic enquiry is possible; they reinforce earlier suggestions that the MMSE alone cannot yield a diagnosis for these conditions.
Why it matters
In hospital patients on a general medical ward, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) picked up 87% of people a psychiatrist diagnosed with dementia or delirium and correctly cleared 82% of those without, but every false positive was in someone with less than 9 years of schooling. The authors concluded the MMSE is useful as a first screen only "when later, more intensive diagnostic enquiry is possible" and that it "cannot yield a diagnosis" on its own. It is a 1982 study of a screening test, not of treatment or prevention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Getting a diagnosis →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 51/100
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 (Psychological medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Psychological Medicine: journal h-index 331 (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 | 1982 — 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 | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,117 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 24.3 citations a year over 46 year(s) since 1982 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 11.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 42 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 40 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Marshal F. Folstein: h-index 62 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 7100362) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
42 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Getting a diagnosis
Also tagged “mini-mental”
840 studies in the library carry the topic tag “mini-mental”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 840 tagged studies.