Reliability of three questions for the screening of advanced cognitive impairment in polypathological patients.

Aim: To determine whether answering three questions erroneously ("what is the date today?," "when were you born?" and "how old are you?") allows for the detection of advanced cognitive impairment in polypathological patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of patients admitted to the internal medicine and geriatrics departments was carried out. Advanced cognitive impairment was diagnosed when patients made 7-10 errors in the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire.

[Functional decline and presence of symptoms in palliative care: Cause or consequence?].

Introduction: Several publications have related functional decline to the appearance of symptoms, especially psychiatric or psychological ones, such as anxiety and depression. Moreover, an initial depressive disorder or prior to functional decline usually worsens it. It was decided to investigate the relationship between the presence of functional decline, measured by a decrease in the Barthel index (BI), and the presence of symptoms.