How Well Does the Brief Interview for Mental Status Identify Risk for Cognition Mediated Functional Impairment in a Community Sample?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the adequacy of the Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) compared with other screening tools in identifying individuals with limitations in functional cognition and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: Midsized midwestern city. PARTICIPANTS: We assessed a convenience sample of community dwelling individuals (N=197) aged 55 years and older who were living independently. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participant scores on the BIMS, Mini-Cog, Menu Task, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were compared with the Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills Checkbook Balancing and Shopping tasks (PCST), which are known to predict impairment in complex IADLs associated with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. Multiple logistic regression analyses controlling for participant demographics, as well as sensitivity and specificity, were computed for each screening measure using the PCST as the criterion measure. RESULTS: The Mini-Cog, Menu Task, and MoCA identified 25.89%, 32.49%, and 47.21% more individuals, respectively, as impaired than the BIMS. In multiple logistical regression analyses, the BIMS correctly identified 58% of those impaired on the PCST. However, each of the alternate screening measures correctly identified at least 70% of individuals as impaired on the PCST. CONCLUSIONS: In this community sample, the BIMS was insensitive to subtle impairments with the potential to compromise community living, suggesting that the BIMS may be inappropriate for use outside nursing home settings.