title: Delirium frequency among advanced cancer patients presenting to an emergency department: A prospective, randomized, observational study.
abstract: The frequency of delirium among patients with cancer presenting to the emergency department (ED) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine delirium frequency and recognition by ED physicians among patients with advanced cancer presenting to the ED of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
  
  
  
  The study population was a random sample of English-speaking patients with advanced cancer who presented to the ED and met the study criteria. All patients were assessed with the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) to screen for delirium and with the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) to measure delirium severity (mild, ≤15; moderate, 16-22; and severe, ≥23). ED physicians were also asked whether their patients were delirious.
  
  
  
  Twenty-two of the 243 enrolled patients (9%) had CAM-positive delirium, and their median MDAS score was 14 (range, 9-21 [30-point scale]). The median age of the enrolled patients was 62 years (range, 19-89 years). Patients with delirium had a poorer performance status than patients without delirium (P < .001); however, the 2 groups did not differ in other characteristics. Ten of the 99 patients who were 65 years old or older (10%) had CAM-positive delirium, whereas 12 of the 144 patients younger than 65 years (8%) did (P = .6). According to the MDAS scores, delirium was mild in 18 patients (82%) and moderate in 4 patients (18%). Physicians correctly identified delirium in 13 of the CAM-positive delirious patients (59%).
  
  
  
  Delirium is relatively frequent and is underdiagnosed by physicians in patients with advanced cancer who are visiting the ED. Further research is needed to identify the optimal screening tool for delirium in ED. Cancer 2016. © 2016 American Cancer Society. Cancer 2016;122:2918-2924. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Ahmed F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Elsayem
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bruera
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Alan D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Valentine
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Carla L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Warneke
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Sai-Ching J
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Valda D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Page
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas Health Science Center at the Houston School of Nursing, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Geri L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Silvestre
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Holly M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Brock
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Knox H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Todd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: Confusion Assessment Method; Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS); delirium; emergency department; frequency; physician diagnosis