Is there a need for admission and discharge cognitive screening for the medically ill?

The Cognitive Capacity Screening Examination, developed to detect cognitive deficits as possible manifestations of diffuse organic mental syndromes, was administered on admission and at discharge to 106 patients on a medical ward of a general hospital (mean age, 56 years). Thirty-three percent of the patients showed diminished cognitive capacity at admission, of which 16% were undetected by the house staff. Restudy at discharge revealed that 28% of the sample continued to have diminished cognitive capacity. This study documents the incidence of cognitive deficits, highlights the need for early detection, and offers practical considerations for discharge procedures.