title: Instrument for detection of delirium in general hospitals: adaptation of the confusion assessment method.
abstract: Delirium is a common and severe disorder that is often misdiagnosed. The use of screening instruments is advisable for its early detection and treatment. In this study, the authors present an adaptation of the Confusion Assessment Method in order to improve its psychometric properties. One hundred fifty-three elderly inpatients were assessed in a four-phase procedure. Interrater reliability was high (kappa = 0.89). Sensitivity was 90%, and specificity was 100%; the value for negative predictive accuracy was 97%, and the value for positive predictive accuracy was 100%. The adaptation has convergent agreement with two other mental status tests, the Mini-Mental Status Examination and the Delirium Rating Scale. Our results suggest that the adaptation of the Confusion Assessment Method is sensitive, specific, reliable, and easy to use by clinicians.
authors.affiliation: IDIBAPS Clinical Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Pablo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fuente
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valdés
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Peri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nomdedeu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matrai
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003221:Confusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires