GOAL: a simplified mental test for emergency medical admissions

• Published in: QJM : An International Journal of Medicine 2004-10, Vol.97 (10), p.663-669
• Main Authors: Allison, M.C., Kontoyannis, A., Durai, D., Turner, G.I., Fone, D.L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Awareness; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Emergencies - psychology; Female; General aspects; Hospitalization; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Orientation; Prospective Studies; Psychological Tests; Reproducibility of Results
• ISSN: 1460-2725; 1460-2393
• DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hch109

Background: Several scoring systems are used in screening for cognitive impairment, but none are suited to the busy medical assessment environment. Aim: To construct, validate and assess the reliability of a simple scale (Gwent Orientation and Awareness Listing, GOAL) for this purpose, and to examine its application in consecutive emergency admissions in two general hospitals. Design: Prospective cohort studies. Methods: The validity and reliability of GOAL was assessed in three studies of patients aged ≥65 years who had been pronounced medically fit for discharge. The evaluation studies were carried out over 4-week medical intake periods in each participating hospital. Results: Correlation of GOAL with the standard 30-point Mini-Mental State Examination was 0.89, and the inter-observer reliability was 0.90. Based on Receiver Operating Characteristics Curves, patients scoring