A total of 74 papers were included in the review. The review addressed two questions: (1) Does the presence of mild cognitive impairment predict the development of dementia?; (2)Does screening at-risk patients with a specific instrument in a specific setting accurately lead to the diagnosis of dementia? Twenty-four studies (n=14,653) were listed as addressing question 2. It was unclear how many of the included studies related to question , but it appears to be far fewer than the 50 that can be calculated using simple arithmetic.
Does the presence of mild cognitive impairment predict the development of dementia?
Practice recommendation: patients with mild cognitive impairment should be recognised and monitored for cognitive and functional decline due to their increased risk for subsequent dementia (guideline).
Does screening at-risk patients with a specific instrument in a specific setting accurately lead to the diagnosis of dementia?
Practice recommendation for general cognitive screening instruments (11 studies; 3 level I, 2 level II): cognitive screening instruments (e.g. MMSE) should be considered for the detection of dementia in individuals with suspected cognitive impairment (guideline).
Practice recommendation for brief focused screening instruments (4 studies; 1 level I, 2 level II): brief focused screening instruments that focus on limited aspects of cognitive function (i.e. clock drawing test, time and change test) may be considered when screening patients for dementia (option).
Practice recommendation for neuropsychologic batteries (6 studies; 4 level II, 2 level III): neuropsychologic batteries should be considered useful in identifying patients with dementia, particularly when administered to a population at increased risk of cognitive impairment (guideline).
Practice recommendation for informant-based instruments (3 studies; 1 level I, 1 level II): interview-based techniques may be considered in identifying patients with dementia, particularly in a population at increased risk for cognitive impairment (option).