The Medi-Cog

The Medi-Cog is a quick screening tool that checks whether someone has the thinking skills and practical know-how needed to safely manage their own medications. It combines a brief memory and thinking test with a hands-on task where the person sorts pretend pills into a pillbox, so a therapist can see both mental sharpness and real-world pillbox skills in one sitting.

The tool pairs the Mini-Cog, a validated cognitive screen for memory and executive function, with the Medication Transfer Screen (MTS), a pillbox-sorting task. A revised version (Medi-Cog-R) uses actual pill bottles, fake pills, and a physical pill organizer instead of a paper-and-pencil task. Occupational therapists use it with adults and older adults in community-based, mental health, and skilled nursing settings, most often to flag people who may need further evaluation or support with independent medication management; research has shown the combined Medi-Cog performs better at identifying risk than either component alone.

• Study — Can Brief Cognitive or Medication Management Tasks Identify the Potential for Dependence in IADLs?