The Diagnostic Accuracy of the Mini-Cog Screening Tool for the Detection of Cognitive Impairment—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
PLoS One
Abayomi, S. N., Sritharan, P., et al. (2024).
PLoS One, 19(3), e0298686.
<div>This systematic review with meta-analysis investigates the diagnostic accuracy of the Mini-Cog rapid screening tool for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia in adults, 60 years and older.</div>
No funding received
From database inception to January 25, 2023
<div>Randomized controlled trials and observational studies (i.e., case-control, cross-sectional, controlled trials, retrospective and prospective cohort studies)</div>
14
<div>The Mini-Cog showed a sensitivity of 0.76 and a specificity of 0.83 for detecting dementia in older adults. The authors found similar diagnostic accuracy for detecting dementia across healthcare settings:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Primary care/community: sensitivity=0.73 and specificity=0.84; </li>
<li>Secondary care/memory clinic: sensitivity=0.73 and specificity 0.76; and </li>
<li>Emergency department: sensitivity=0.75 and specificity=0.85. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>The authors described the Mini-Cog as a practical tool for healthcare settings due to its high diagnostic accuracy, quick administration time (less than 5 minutes), and applicability across patients with different educational, ethnic, or cognitive characteristics. Limitations of this review include the heterogeneity and limited number of included studies. Additional research is needed to investigate the use of the Mini-Cog in populations undergoing surgery.</div>
<div>The Mini-Cog showed a sensitivity of 0.84 and a specificity of 0.79 for detecting MCI in older adults, which is comparable to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (sensitivity 0.79-0.90, specificity 0.70-0.81) and better than the Mini Mental State Examination (sensitivity 0.61–0.66, specificity 0.65–0.74). </div>
<div> </div>
<div>The authors described the Mini-Cog as a practical tool for healthcare settings due to its high diagnostic accuracy, quick administration time (less than 5 minutes), and applicability across patients with different educational, ethnic, or cognitive characteristics. Limitations of this review include the heterogeneity and limited number of included studies. Additional research is needed to investigate the use of the Mini-Cog in populations undergoing surgery.</div>
<div>The Mini-Cog showed a sensitivity of 0.67 and a specificity of 0.83 for detecting cognitive impairment in older adults. The authors described the Mini-Cog as a practical tool for healthcare settings due to its high diagnostic accuracy, quick administration time (less than 5 minutes), and applicability across patients with different educational, ethnic, or cognitive characteristics.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Limitations of this review include the heterogeneity and limited number of included studies. Additional research is needed to investigate the use of the Mini-Cog in populations undergoing surgery.</div>
