What is the Mini Mental State/Status Examination?
The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a widely used method for assessing cognitive mental status. The most commonly used cognitive screening test is the Folstein Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), developed in 1975. Cognition is a generic term embracing the mental activities associated with thinking, learning, and memory. This term also denotes any process whereby one acquires knowledge. Purpose: The evaluation of cognitive functioning is important in clinical settings because of the recognized high prevalence of cognitive impairment in medical patients. It is one part of a full neurologic examination and includes the examiner’s observations about the patient’s attitude and cooperativeness as well as the patient’s answers to specific questions. The MMSE has been used as a clinical instrument to detect impairment, follow the course of an illness, and monitor response to treatment. The MMSE has also been used as a research tool to screen for cognitive disorders in epidemiologic
