Detecting cognitive impairment in primary care: performance assessment of three screening instruments.

Early detection of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) is important, especially in primary care settings. We compared performances of two common screening tests, the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and Clock Drawing Test (CDT), with that of the MCI Screen ({MCIS}) in 254 patients over 65. None had previous diagnosis of ADRD, and 81% were asymptomatic by Functional Assessment Staging Test ({FAST}) (FAST=1).