Cognition was screened by the recruiting nurse using the
MMSE. A score of < 26 of a possible 30 indicated some degree
of cognitive deficit (Folstein et al., 1975; Molloy, 1999). The
MMSE was designed to identify dementia, delirium and cognitive
changes over time. Test-retest reliability has been reported
to vary from 0.82 to 0.98; a sensitivity of 87% and specificity of
82% have been reported (Cockrell & Folstein, 1988).