Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) use in general practice for the early detection of cognitive impairment: a feasibility study

Background: GPs can detect cognitive impairment (CI) at a very early stage, allowing early support for people and their caregivers. The early onset of CI is between 50 years and 60 years. Currently, in France, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) remains the most used screening test, although i...

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Main Authors: Cassandre Carton, Matthieu Calafiore, Charles Cauet, Nassir Messaadi, Marc Bayen, David Wyts, Wassil Messaadi, Teddy Richebe, Sabine Bayen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Royal College of General Practitioners 2025-04-01
Series:BJGP Open
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Online Access:https://bjgpopen.org/content/9/1/BJGPO.2024.0039
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author Cassandre Carton
Matthieu Calafiore
Charles Cauet
Nassir Messaadi
Marc Bayen
David Wyts
Wassil Messaadi
Teddy Richebe
Sabine Bayen
author_facet Cassandre Carton
Matthieu Calafiore
Charles Cauet
Nassir Messaadi
Marc Bayen
David Wyts
Wassil Messaadi
Teddy Richebe
Sabine Bayen
author_sort Cassandre Carton
collection DOAJ
description Background: GPs can detect cognitive impairment (CI) at a very early stage, allowing early support for people and their caregivers. The early onset of CI is between 50 years and 60 years. Currently, in France, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) remains the most used screening test, although it has a lower sensitivity and specificity than the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for detecting mild CI, taking an average of 15 minutes to complete. Aim: To investigate the feasibility of the MoCA during routine consultations in general practice for the early detection of CI and to determine prevalence of CI in a primary care setting. Design & setting: A quantitative, prospective feasibility study was carried out in real-life working conditions during routine GP consultations in France. Method: GPs performed MoCA on adults aged ≥50 years, without suspected or confirmed CI. Results: Sixty-one GPs performed 221 MoCA with a mean duration of 8 minutes and detected mild neurocognitive impairment in 62% of patients. Conclusion: The MoCA is feasible and easy to perform during routine consultations in general practice by trained and experienced physicians.
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publisher Royal College of General Practitioners
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spelling doaj-art-2fd0d3d8416c4fc5bc92f7117d9f6eed2025-08-20T02:20:16ZengRoyal College of General PractitionersBJGP Open2398-37952025-04-019110.3399/BJGPO.2024.0039Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) use in general practice for the early detection of cognitive impairment: a feasibility studyCassandre Carton0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0576-7955Matthieu Calafiore1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4755-5172Charles Cauet2https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4988-6187Nassir Messaadi3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3602-7120Marc Bayen4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9355-3434David Wyts5https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2612-9897Wassil Messaadi6https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8137-8077Teddy Richebe7https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6636-8467Sabine Bayen8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3334-9394District of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lille, Lille, FranceDistrict of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lille, Lille, FranceDistrict of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lille, Lille, FranceDistrict of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lille, Lille, FranceDistrict of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lille, Lille, FranceDistrict of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lille, Lille, FranceDistrict of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lille, Lille, FranceDistrict of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lille, Lille, FranceDistrict of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lille, Lille, FranceBackground: GPs can detect cognitive impairment (CI) at a very early stage, allowing early support for people and their caregivers. The early onset of CI is between 50 years and 60 years. Currently, in France, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) remains the most used screening test, although it has a lower sensitivity and specificity than the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for detecting mild CI, taking an average of 15 minutes to complete. Aim: To investigate the feasibility of the MoCA during routine consultations in general practice for the early detection of CI and to determine prevalence of CI in a primary care setting. Design & setting: A quantitative, prospective feasibility study was carried out in real-life working conditions during routine GP consultations in France. Method: GPs performed MoCA on adults aged ≥50 years, without suspected or confirmed CI. Results: Sixty-one GPs performed 221 MoCA with a mean duration of 8 minutes and detected mild neurocognitive impairment in 62% of patients. Conclusion: The MoCA is feasible and easy to perform during routine consultations in general practice by trained and experienced physicians.https://bjgpopen.org/content/9/1/BJGPO.2024.0039screeningconsultation skillsdementiacognitive dysfunctiongeneral practiceprimary healthcare
spellingShingle Cassandre Carton
Matthieu Calafiore
Charles Cauet
Nassir Messaadi
Marc Bayen
David Wyts
Wassil Messaadi
Teddy Richebe
Sabine Bayen
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) use in general practice for the early detection of cognitive impairment: a feasibility study
BJGP Open
screening
consultation skills
dementia
cognitive dysfunction
general practice
primary healthcare
title Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) use in general practice for the early detection of cognitive impairment: a feasibility study
title_full Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) use in general practice for the early detection of cognitive impairment: a feasibility study
title_fullStr Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) use in general practice for the early detection of cognitive impairment: a feasibility study
title_full_unstemmed Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) use in general practice for the early detection of cognitive impairment: a feasibility study
title_short Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) use in general practice for the early detection of cognitive impairment: a feasibility study
title_sort montreal cognitive assessment moca use in general practice for the early detection of cognitive impairment a feasibility study
topic screening
consultation skills
dementia
cognitive dysfunction
general practice
primary healthcare
url https://bjgpopen.org/content/9/1/BJGPO.2024.0039
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