The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration test (BOMC) were each administered to 110 nursing home residents. The correlation between the MMSE and BOMC's total score was -.79. Maximum likelihood factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure, consisting of memory-attention and verbal-comprehension factors that were highly correlated (.69). The results suggest that the somewhat longer MMSE may be preferred for bedside mental status testing, as it clearly measures an additional dimension of cognitive ability, while the BOMC is primarily a unidimensional test. The theoretical and clinical implications of bedside mental status testing of elderly patients are discussed.

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