Equivalence of two screens of cognitive functioning: the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire and the Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test

Researchers conducted a study to determine the equivalence of two screens of cognitive functioning, which are the short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) and the Orientation-Memory-Concentration (OMC) test. They gathered a random sample of 3210 people 68 years of age and older. The findings revealed that on the SPMSQ and the OMC a percentage of people were rated cognitively impaired. They concluded that the SPMSQ and OMC are not equivalent and associations with race and education are greater for the OMC, while an association with age exists for both measures.