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ABSTRACT
Introduction: Occupational therapists in acute care settings often complete the Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) screening tool to assess inpatients’ cognitive state. The scores obtained are often informally linked to a patient's global function either on the ward and/or at the point of discharge. Therefore, what is the association between inpatients’ performance on the MMSE and their functional performance? Purpose: This study investigated the association between the MMSE and the functional performance of inpatients with suspected dementia. Method: A within-subjects quantitative research design was employed whereby a sample of 30 participants suspected of having dementia were recruited from three acute care hospital sites in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. The MMSE was used to assess participants’ cognitive abilities while the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) provided a functional assessment score. Spearman's rho correlations and linear regression analyses were computed. Results: Eleven MMSE items were found to significantly associated with the FIM total score (Adjusted R2 = 0.405, p < 0.05) and the FIM cognition subscale score (Adjusted R2 = 0.683, p < 0.01). However, the MMSE items were not associated with the FIM motor subscale score (Adjusted R2 = .315, p > 0.05). Conclusion: The MMSE scores derived for inpatients with a suspected dementia were significantly associated with the inpatients’ total FIM and cognition subscale scores, however, therapists need to be cautious when inferring any generalizations to inpatients’ motor task performance.