Background: The Rapid Assessment Medical Unit (RAMU) is a short stay processing ward for general medical patients. Aim: To evaluate the impact of the RAMU on cognitive screening of older medical patients. Method: Audit of documentation of cognition using a validated screening tool in the medical records of 500 patients aged 70 years and older. Their admission records under general medicine in the preceding 12 months were also reviewed. Results: Administration of the Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT) was attempted in 81% of patients. In 64.6% it was completed. 29% had impaired cognition on screening. A validated screening tool for cognitive assessment was recorded only in 7.6% of patients before the RAM U was opened. Conclusion: The work practice and procedural changes in the RAMU appear to have a positive impact on cognitive screening. This observation may suggest that evidence based clinical guidelines could be successfully implemented in a model similar to the RAMU.
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Anpalahan et al. (2002) studied this question.
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