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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Detection and diagnosis of delirium in the elderly: psychiatrist diagnosis, confusion assessment method, or consensus diagnosis? | | Author(s) | Yizhuang Zou, Martin G Cole, François J Primeau |
| Journal title | International Psychogeriatrics, vol 10, no 3, September 1998 |
| Pages | pp 303-308 |
| Keywords | Confusion ; Diagnosis ; Evaluation ; Psychiatrists ; Nurses ; Canada. |
| Annotation | The clinical diagnosis of delirium has traditionally been based on an assessment by one or more physicians. Because of the transient, ubiquitous, and fluctuating nature of the symptoms of delirium, however, this approach may be flawed. This study compared diagnosis based on one assessment by a psychiatrist, diagnosis by a nurse clinician (using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) and multiple observation points), and diagnosis by consensus. A total of 87 patients were assessed, and a consensus conference, attended by three psychiatrists and the nurse clinician, used all available information to reach a consensus diagnosis. The results suggest that one clinical assessment by a psychiatrist may not be the best method for detecting and diagnosing delirium in older people. A consensus diagnosis or diagnosis by a trained rater (using the CAM and multiple observation points) may be more sensitive approaches. (AKM). |
| Accession Number | CPA-981120405 A |
| Classmark | EDC: LK7: 4C: QT9: QTE: 7S |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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