Validation of the Quick Confusion Scale for mental status screening in the emergency department

The Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) is a commonly used assessment of cognitive status; however, it has been considered somewhat unwieldy for use in the emergency department (ED). An alternate test, the Quick Confusion Scale (QCS), has been compared against the MMSE in a single centre. We hypothesised that the QCS would strongly correlate with the MMSE in the ED, but could be administered more quickly. Trained research assistants administered both the QCS and the MMSE to a convenience sample of 666 patients and visitors in an urban academic ED. Patients were randomised as to which test would be administered first. The QCS required less time to complete than the MMSE (2.7+/-1.3 vs. 5.1+/-1.9 min, p