Mandatory Certification for MoCA Cognitive Assessment Now Free for Students, Faculty and Academic Researchers

MONTREAL, Oct. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MoCA's official one-hour online training and certification module is now available at no cost for students, faculty members, and academic researchers. Certification supports MoCA's superior accuracy and reliability as the leading screening tool for mild cognitive impairment. The new policy of free certification for academia underlines MoCA's commitment to unrestricted access for researchers and future clinicians. 

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"Our goal has always been to offer the most advanced screening tools for the earliest detection of cognitive disorders" says Dr. Ziad Nasreddine, Neurologist and MoCA creator. "Research has shown additional training to be helpful in reducing common administration errors and improving standardization, which limits risks for clinicians and patients, and improves quality of care."

The test, available in paper and digital formats, is widely used in clinical, research, and senior care settings across the globe. The official MoCA Certification was established in response to the many requests from healthcare providers, professional associations and organizations aiming to increase user proficiency in administering MoCA and to limit risks associated with improper scoring. Training and certification also became necessary to maintain MoCA's superior accuracy and scientific validity. Analysis of pre- and post-training knowledge assessments have demonstrated substantial effectiveness of MoCA certification. A formal study for publication is underway, across multiple countries and professions.

The one-hour training and certification module is available on MoCA's website. MoCA users can download free MoCA assessment pages (PDF format), including variations for hearing or visual impairment, low education, and telemedicine. Health professionals and researchers can also access the MoCA app, which offers automatic scoring, storing of results, and simple electronic health record (EHR) uploads.

MoCA's official website: www.mocatest.org

More about MoCA:

MoCA (formally the Montreal Cognitive Assessment) is a 10-minute comprehensive test, developed by Dr. Ziad Nasreddine, that helps healthcare professionals detect cognitive disorders very early on, allowing for faster diagnosis and better patient care. Over 500 peer-reviewed studies have shown MoCA to be more sensitive and accurate than other common assessments, including the MMSE. Leading hospitals and research institutions have chosen MoCA as the preferred tool for rapid cognitive assessment. MoCA is used in nearly every country, in over 100 languages and dialects, and was named among Canada's "Top Innovations in Alzheimer's Research."

About Ziad Nasreddine MD FRCP(C)

Dr. Ziad Nasreddine is the creator of MoCA and director of MoCA Clinic and Institute, in Montreal. After graduating from Medical School and Neurology at the University of Sherbrooke, he completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Neurobehavior at UCLA and is certified by the Medical Board of California and by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

In 1992, during his residency, Dr. Nasreddine recognized the need for a more comprehensive cognitive screening tool that could better serve clinicians. He began the journey of creating his own, more responsive test. In 1996, Dr. Nasreddine released the first version of a more specialized assessment that could directly support specialty clinics with a high volume of patients: the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, now commonly known as MoCA. As a renowned expert on cognition, Dr. Nasreddine has been interviewed by CNN, Washington Post, New York Times, and many other news sources.

Contact: Rebecca Persian, 310-331-8085, [email protected]

SOURCE MoCA