Title of Assessment
MoCA
Author(s)
Ziad Nasreddine MD FRCP(C)
Year of Publication/Publisher
December 2015 by Occupational Medicine
Identify Type of Assessment
Standardized
Structured
Criterion referenced
Rapid screen assessment
Cost & How to Access Assessment
Free
https://championsforhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/MOCA-8.1.8.2-English.pdf
Population
Individuals 55 years old and older; Neurodegeneration disorders, stroke, sleep behavior disorder, brain tumors, head trauma, substance abuse disorders, HIV, COVID, heart failure, Schizophrenia, mental illness
Appropriate Settings
Hospitals
In-patient rehabs
Clubhouses
SNF
Assisted living facility
Acute care
Home health
Outpatient
Purpose of Assessment & Function(s)/Area(s) Assessed
Purpose: To identify a client’s cognitive functioning and assess if mild cognitive dysfunction is present.
Functions/Areas addressed:
Short-term memory/ working memory
Visuospatial abilities
Executive functioning
Attention/concentration
Language
Orientation
Administration
Approximately 10-15 minutes
Intended for individual therapy and is completely with just the healthcare professional and the client
Specific instructions need to be followed for this assessment
There are 10 subtests that evaluate visuospatial/executive abilities, naming, working memory, attention, concentration/calculation, repetition, verbal fluency, abstraction, short-term memory, and orientation to time and place.
User Qualifications
Any healthcare professional
MoCA training is required which takes approximately one hour to complete. It can be completed online here https://mocacognition.com/training-certification/.
The fee for taking the training is $125 and the suggested recertification date is 2 years after you get certified.
Materials Required
MoCA test sheet
Writing utensil
Scoring Procedure
30-point test, add 1 point if client has 12 years or less of education, each section is scored differently.
26 or above= normal, 18-25= mild cognitive impairment, 10-17= moderate cognitive impairment, and less than 10= severe cognitive impairment.
Psychometrics/Standardization
High test-retest reliability
Good internal consistency
Convergent validity is good
Divergent validity is within recommended range value
Strengths & Weaknesses of Assessment
Strengths:
Quick and brief
Formatted
Free
Identifies mild cognitive impairment
Blind versions and in multiple languages available
Weaknesses:
Biases again individuals with lack of education
Training is needed to administer
Some mental health problems can skew results- individuals with depression may score lower, etc.
References
Author links open overlay panelCarole Bernard a, a, b, 1, paper, A. this, BarrieuP., BignozziV., SchepperA., D., EmbrechtsP., GoovaertsM.J., GordyM.B., KaasR., PuccettiG., RüschendorfL., VandendorpeA., WangB., BasuS., BensonF., BernardC., & BoudtK. (2020, June 3). Range value-at-risk bounds for unimodal distributions under partial information. Insurance: Mathematics and Economics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167668720300809
Moca duo app now free for all healthcare professionals. go paperless ►. MoCA Cognition. (n.d.). https://mocacognition.com/
Moca-8.1.8.2-english.PDF. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Version 8.1 Administration and Scoring Instructions. (n.d.). https://championsforhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/MOCA-8.1.8.2-English.pdf
Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Montreal Cognitive Assessment - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.). https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/montreal-cognitive-assessment