Examining the reliability and validity of the Hebrew version of the Mini Mental State Examination

The Mini Mental State Examination is used worldwide for the screening and d iagnosis of dementia. The aim of the present study was to examine the relia bility and validity of the Hebrew version of the Mini Mental State Examinat ion. The Hebrew version of the Mini Mental State Examination was administer ed to 36 demented and 19 non-demented elderly persons. Test-retest reliabil ity scores were calculated as exact agreement rates, and ranged from good t o excellent for all the items. Strong convergent validity, as measured by t he correlation between the MMSE and the CAMCOG (r=0.94), teas found. Good p redictive value was observed as over three-quarters of the participants wer e correctly classified as demented or non-demented. The Hebrew version of t he MMSE was found to be a useful and valid instrument for the determination of dementia in the elderly population. (Aging Clin. Exp. Res. 11: 329-334, 1999) (C)1999, Editrice Kurtis.