The question of possible benefits of physicians screening for dementia in
elderly patients in the outpatient setting remains open. Although no controlled studies
have thus far been able to conclusively demonstrate that doing so is in fact beneficial,
the end points of such studies, such as mortality, are rather crude. Increasingly, there
are arguments that harder to track end points need to be examined in more detail, and
that earlier recognition of cognitive impairment can potentially have a significant
impact on a number of clinical matters. These include, for example, recognition of
potential problems with medication compliance, driving risk, predicting post-operative
delirium, and allowing more time for patient and family planning of finances and living
arrangements, as well as recommending life style changes in diet and exercise habits
that may help retard the progression of early cognitive impairment. In this article we
will discuss evidence regarding these points, and also give a brief outline of the pros
and cons of some of the numerous brief cognitive screens that can be utilized for
screening purposes.
