title: Delirium: Predictors of delay in referral to consultation liaison psychiatry services.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the predictors of delay in psychiatry referral for patients with delirium.
  
  
  METHODS
  The consultation liaison psychiatry registry and case notes of 461 patients referred to psychiatry consultation liaison services and diagnosed as having delirium were reviewed. Data pertaining to sociodemographic variables, clinical variables, Delirium Rating Scale-Revised 98 version, etiologies associated with delirium were extracted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Older age, presence of and higher severity of sleep disturbance, presence of and higher severity of motor retardation, presence of visuospatial disturbances, presence of fluctuation of symptoms, being admitted to medical ward/medical intensive care units, and absence of comorbid axis-1 psychiatry diagnoses were associated with longer duration of psychiatric referral after the onset of delirium. Of these only four variables (presence of sleep disturbance, presence of motor retardation, being admitted to medical ward intensive care units and absence of comorbid axis-1 psychiatry diagnoses) were associated with longer duration of psychiatric referral in the regression analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The variables associated with delay in psychiatry referral for delirium suggest that there is a need to improve the understanding of the physicians and surgeons about the signs and symptoms, risk factors, and prognostic factors of delirium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grover
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kate
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Surendra Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mattoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Subho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Savita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malhotra
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Ajit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avasthi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Parmanand
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kulhara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Debasish
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Basu
keywords: Delay in referral; delirium; predictors