Cross-validation of the Delirium Rating Scale in older patients.
OBJECTIVE
To cross-validate the Delirium Rating Scale (DRS).


METHODS
Cross-sectional.


METHODS
Geriatric medicine and geriatric psychiatry assessment units and consultation services.


METHODS
A total of 104 older patients on the above services.


METHODS
Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, Barthel Index score, DRS score, Blessed Dementia Scale score, clinical diagnoses using DSM-III-R criteria.


RESULTS
The mean DRS score was highest in the delirium group. Cronbach's alpha was .90, and inter-rater reliability of total scores was .91 (intra-class correlation). Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve for the DRS was significantly higher than the MMSE as a test for delirium. At its published cutpoint of 10, the sensitivity of the DRS is .82 and the specificity is 94. The value at which the sensitivity of the DRS is .90 is 8, at which specificity is .82.


CONCLUSIONS
The DRS appears to a feasible instrument. In a sample with a high proportion of delirious patients, it has acceptable measurement properties when used by expert observers.
Rockwood
K
K
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Goodman
J
J
Flynn
M
M
Stolee
P
P
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results