BIMS Calculator – Brief Interview for Mental Status

Enter Responses for Each Activity:

• Enter Responses for Each Activity:
  • Part I: Repetition of Words
    Assess how many words the resident correctly repeats from a given list of three words.
  • Part II: Temporal Orientation
    Evaluate their ability to identify the correct year, month, and day of the week.
  • Part III: Recall
    Test their ability to recall specific words with or without cues.
• Score the Responses: Assign points based on the level of accuracy for each response.
• Calculate the Total BIMS Score: The calculator will sum the scores from all sections to provide the final cognitive assessment result.

What’s a Healthy vs. Unhealthy Range?

• BIMS Score Interpretation:
  • 13–15: Intact cognitive function.
  • 8–12: Moderate cognitive impairment.
  • 0–7: Severe cognitive impairment.

Scores closer to 15 indicate healthy mental status, while lower scores suggest increasing levels of cognitive decline.

Why Use This Calculator?

• Quick and Effective: Takes only a few minutes to administer, providing rapid insights.
• Widely Applicable: Suitable for use by paraprofessionals and clinicians.
• Standardized Assessment: Ensures uniformity in cognitive evaluations.
• Guides Further Testing: Identifies the need for additional assessments for underlying conditions.
• Care Planning: Supports decision-making in long-term care and intervention strategies.

Why Use This Calculator?

The BIMS is a performance-based cognitive assessment used primarily in nursing homes to evaluate memory, orientation, and recall. It helps identify levels of cognitive impairment and serves as a tool for early detection of cognitive decline in residents.

Limitations: While effective, the BIMS test is not ideal for detecting milder cognitive impairments or assessing executive functions. For such cases, follow-up with more comprehensive assessments is recommended.

How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator simplifies the process by providing an interactive scoring mechanism for the three main domains:

• Repetition
• Temporal Orientation
• Recall

By inputting responses and scores into the tool, users receive a total BIMS score along with interpretation guidelines, aiding in efficient decision-making for patient care.