serial sevens test
Neurology A test of subtracting 7 from 100, from 93, from 86, etc, to test consciousness, used when administering general anesthesia pre-surgery. See Mini-mental test.Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) MMSE Instructions MMSE Download SMMSE Instructions SMMSE Download The Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) is a cognitive screening tool that provides a brief, objective measure of cognitive function. It can be used to screen for cognitive impairment, to estimate the severity of the impairment, and to document cognitive change over time. Mini-Mental State Examination and the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination. The MMSE is the most widely used of a substantial number of available screening tests 122 and is a popular clinical measure that has validated versions available in many languages. The MMSE consists of a variety of tasks, yields a summed score with a maximum of 30. The serial subtraction of seven beginning with the number 100 is a conventional part of mental status evaluation of patients. My observations of its administration by medical students and residents clearly indicates they do not administer it as originally described, eg, not done as a timed test, nor do they know how to interpret the results obtained. The mental status examination is an assessment of current mental capacity through evaluation of general appearance, behavior, any unusual or bizarre beliefs and perceptions (eg, delusions, hallucinations), mood, and all aspects of cognition (eg, attention, orientation, memory). Serial 7s are common: The patient is asked to start with 100.
serial sevens test
A test of mental status. The patient is asked to subtract 7 from 100 and to take 7 from that value and continue serially.
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Serial sevens, counting down from one hundred by sevens, is a clinical test used to test mental function; for example, to help assess mental status after possible head injury or in suspected cases of dementia. This well-known test, in active documented use since at least 1944,[1] was adopted as part of the mini-mental state examination. The test is also used in determining when a patient is becoming unconscious under anaesthetic, for example prior to major dental surgery.
On its own, the inability to perform 'serial sevens' is not diagnostic of any particular disorder or impairment, but is generally used as a quick and easy test of concentration and memory in any number of situations where clinicians suspect that these cognitive functions might be affected. Each subtraction is considered as a unit and calculations are made on the basis of the 14 possible correct subtractions, that is 93-86-79-72-65-58-51-44-37-30-23-16-9-2.[2]
Similar tests include serial threes where the counting downwards is done by threes, reciting the months of the year in reverse order, or spelling 'world' backwards.
A study involving uninjured high school athletes concluded that the serial sevens test is not appropriate when testing for concussion because it lacks specificity; the pass rate is too low to give any meaningful result. The ability to recite the months in reverse order was thought to be a more effective measure because the pass rate was higher for that test in uninjured athletes.[3]
The numbers of the serial sevens test are a recurring motif in Sarah Kane's play 4.48 Psychosis. Most downloaded song in history.
Serial 7's Mental Status Exam
References[edit]
Mental Status Descriptions
- ^Jurgen Ruesch (1944). 'Intellectual Impairment in Head Injuries'. The American Journal of Psychiatry. 100 (4): 480–496. doi:10.1176/ajp.100.4.480.
- ^Manning, Robert Thomas (1982). 'The Serial Sevens Test'. Archives of Internal Medicine. 142 (6): 1192. doi:10.1001/archinte.1982.00340190148022. PMID7092427.
- ^Young, Cc; Jacobs, Ba; Clavette, K; Mark, Dh; Guse, Ce (Jul 1997). 'Serial sevens: not the most effective test of mental status in high school athletes'. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 7 (3): 196–8. doi:10.1097/00042752-199707000-00008. ISSN1050-642X. PMID9262887.
Serial 7s Mental Status Form
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