The Delirium Rating Scale in a psychogeriatric inpatient setting.
The Delirium Rating Scale (DRS) has been shown to be a valid instrument for identifying and grading the severity of delirium in patients admitted to a general hospital for medical or surgical treatment. However, its accuracy in identifying delirium among elderly patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation and treatment of psychiatric illness has not been previously addressed. The DRS was administered to 791 elderly patients who were consecutively admitted to a psychogeriatric unit; 70 met DSM-III-R criteria for delirium. A DRS threshold score of > or = 10 correctly identified delirious patients with a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 82%. Both psychosis and cognitive impairment appeared to falsely elevate the DRS score in this population.
Rosen
J
J
Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15213.
Sweet
R A
RA
Mulsant
B H
BH
Rifai
A H
AH
Pasternak
R
R
Zubenko
G S
GS
D000368:Aged; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006760:Hospitalization; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results