Slums Exam Pdf

[Sean Vaidhyanathan]

TheSLUMS Exam is a clinician administered examination used to identify persons who have dementia or Mild Neurocognitive Impairment. Qualified health care professionals who have been trained by viewing a VA-produced video available online can use the form, and must be retrained annually.

The results of this study suggest that the SLUMS and MMSE have comparable sensitivities, specificities, and area under the curve in detecting dementia. The SLUMS may be better at detecting mild neurocognitive disorder compared to the MMSE. SLUMS AUCs at cut-offs of maximum specificity/sensitivity

Tariq, S. H., Tumosa, N., et al. (2006). "Comparison of the Saint Louis University mental status examination and the mini-mental state examination for detecting dementia and mild neurocognitive disorder--a pilot study." Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 14(11): 900-910. Find it on PubMed

Social services professionals, reflections/passages program coordinators, licensed nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, physical therapists, residence supervisors and other qualified health care professionals who have been trained (and retrained annually) by viewing the VA-produced video available online.

Yes, question 5 is a two-part question worth a total of three points. The first part (money spent) is worth one point and the second part (money left) is worth two points. Each part is scored separately. Thus, for question 5 one can score zero points (incorrect answers to money spent and money left), one point (correct answer to money spent and incorrect answer to money left), two points (incorrect answer to money spent and correct answer to money left), or three points (correct answers to money spent and money left).

You may write down the names or use hash marks when administering this item. We recommend writing down the animal names because it makes it easier to score this item accurately because any repeated animal names should only be counted as one point/one animal name.

For example, if a patient names the following animals in one minute: dog, bird, cow, cat, horse, zebra, giraffe, dog, turtle, penguin, zebra, the total number of animals named for the score is nine because dog was named twice but only counts as one point/animal names. An experienced healthcare professional may use hash marks (e.g., IIII for 4 animals) rather than writing down all the animals named in one minute. If you do this, it is recommended that one does not make a hash mark for any animal names repeated by the patient.

When scoring, give full credit for either all 12 numbers or all 12 ticks. If the patient puts only four numbers or ticks on the circle, then prompt one time to request that the patient write down all numbers or ticks.

When scoring, the numbers/ticks should be located approximately in the correct position; if the numbers/ticks are poorly spaced and not close/near to the correct position, then the 'Hour markers okay' score should be 0/2 points (incorrect).

When scoring, both components (hours markers okay; time correct) of the clock test are scored are correct or incorrect with no partial credit, so the possible total scores on the clock test are 0 (both components incorrect), 2 (one component correct, one component incorrect), or 4 (both components correct).

The VAMC SLUMS is designed and has been validated for use as a screening measure to detect cognitive dysfunction, i.e., mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, among older adults ages 60 and above; this is the appropriate patient group for use of the VAMC SLUMS.

The VAMC SLUMS has not been validated for use: in patients ages 59 and below and other patient groups with diseases or conditions that may cause cognitive dysfunction (e.g., traumatic brain injury (TBI), developmental disabilities, schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder, etc).

The VAMC SLUMS Exam is not a measure of global cognitive function. The VAMC SLUMS Exam is a screening test for cognitive dysfunction that is designed and validated to screen for MCI and dementia among older adults ages 60+. As a screening test, the results of the SLUMS Exam (i.e., classification as normal, MCI, or dementia) do not represent a clinical diagnosis. A clinical diagnosis of MCI or dementia requires a full assessment and evaluation based on established criteria, such as DSM-V, by a qualified healthcare professional. Research has shown that the SLUMS Exam has good sensitivity and specificity to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia among older adult patients ages 60+, so it correlates well with clinical diagnoses of MCI and dementia.

The VAMC SLUMS Examination is free to use for the evaluation/screening of cognitive dysfunction in older adults. We retain the copyright but do not charge for health professionals to use the SLUMS Exam in their clinical work and/or research. The SLUMS is a paper-and-pencil test, but one can scan the results in a health record.

The original VAMC SLUMS was developed and validated for use with patients who are fluent in English. You should not use the VAMC SLUMS Exam with patients who are non-English speakers or who have limited proficiency in English-United States. In these instances, if available, an appropriate translated version of the VAMC SLUMS Examination should be used and administered by a trained professional proficient in the respective translated language version of the VAMC SLUMS Exam (e.g., German, Chinese, Arabic, English-Australia, etc.). There are 23 professionally translated versions of the VAMC SLUMS available on our website.

In most cases, a patient should be tested using the VAMC SLUMS no more than once per year. If the VAMC SLUMS is completed more frequently than one time per year, this increases the likelihood that a patient may remember questions/answers from the test and score differently (higher) because of this.

It is not appropriate to allow a patient to use extra aids or resources when taking the test. The VMAC SLUMS questions are designed and are meant to assess if a patient knows the correct answers without using aids.

Example: A patient is not allowed to:

It is not appropriate or possible for a patient to complete the VAMC SLUMS by audio/telephone. Item 10 requires a patient to draw a clock (hour markers and clock hands to indicate time) on a piece of paper, and item 10 requires that a patient views the objects and places a mark in the triangle and identifies the largest object.

No, the VAMCS SLUMS Examination was developed and validated as a screening measure for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia among older adult patients ages 60+. All items must be administered and scored (0-30 total points) for the classification of normal, MCI, or dementia on this test; these classifications may not be valid if items are excluded and/or modified scores are used).

To further explain the question, Is the VAMC SLUMS Examination conducted/administered in a standardized way? For example, is it acceptable if a health professional changes the words in item 4, the numbers in item 8, or the story in item 11?

This VAMC SLUMS Examination is a standardized screening measure, so the items should not be changed from the original measure. Changes to items may impact performance (e.g., changes to the story may make it more or less difficult than the original version), which could impact the validity of scores/classifications. Of course, there are legitimate reasons why different/modified items may be needed when using the VAMC SLUMS Exam with various older adult patient populations due to language, culture, geographic, and/or other differences. In such cases, you should use a professionally modified/translated version of the SLUMS as appropriate for the patient being tested.

The VAMC SLUMS Examination was not originally designed to be used as an assessment done virtually for telehealth. It may be possible to make special accommodations to allow for a fully virtual assessment, but before implementation, the changes would require testing for validity in a systematic evaluation study. To our knowledge, this has yet to be done.

The Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) Exam is a brief screening assessment used to detect cognitive impairment.[1] It was developed in 2006 at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine Division of Geriatric Medicine, in affiliation with a Veterans' Affairs medical center.[2] The test was initially developed using a veteran population, but has since been adopted as a screening tool for any individual displaying signs of mild cognitive impairment. The intended population typically consists of individuals 60 years and above that display any signs of cognitive deficit.[3] Unlike other widely-used cognitive screens, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the SLUMS is free to access and use by all healthcare professionals.[4]

The SLUMS is scored on a scale of 1-30, with higher scores being associated with greater functional ability, and lower scores associated with greater cognitive impairment.[5] Scoring is dependent on an individual's education level, with higher scores expected for individuals who have received a high school education.[3]

While there is relatively little research on the reliability and validity of the SLUMS exam, available studies suggest that it exhibits high sensitivity (greater than 95%) and specificity (greater than 95%) in differentiating between individuals with normal cognition from those with dementia.[3] However, the SLUMS has been to found to be less effective at differentiating between normal individuals from those with mild cognitive impairment.[4]

Dr. Susan W. Lee is an ABMS board certified neurologist with fellowship training in clinical neurophysiology. She currently practices in Los Angeles, California, and her subspecialty interests include the management of epilepsy and headache disorders.

Jon is a writer from California and now floats somewhere on an island in the Mediterranean. He thinks most issues can be solved by petting a good dog, and he spends plenty of time doing so. Time not spent at his desk is probably spent making art or entertaining humans or other animals.

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