HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fields, S. D Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Fields, S. D Topic Collections EBM Diagnosis

A decrease of 2 points on the Mini-Mental State Examination was the best determinant of delirium in elderly patients admitted to hospital

Clinical impact ratings Internal medicine Geriatrics

Key Words: delirium • geriatric assessment • hospitalisation

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

METHODS
Design: blinded comparison of MMSE with geriatrician diagnosis of delirium.

Setting: a hospital in Galway, Republic of Ireland.

Patients: 165 patients who were 65 years of age (mean age 79 y, 46% women) and were admitted to hospital from the accident and emergency department. 36 patients had dementia. The most common diagnoses were respiratory (n = 68), cardiovascular (n = 35), gastrointestinal (n = 20), and cerebrovascular (n = 19). Exclusion criteria: severe aphasia or deafness, poor prognosis, or hospital stay <6 days.

Description of test: MMSE was given on day 1 and day 6. The MMSE used was adapted and validated for use in Irish patients.

Diagnostic standard: an experienced consultant geriatrician interviewed patients on days 1 and 6 and determined the presence or absence of delirium, dementia, or both. Delirium was diagnosed using the Confusion Assessment Method diagnostic algorithm. The geriatrician did not know the MMSE results.

Outcomes: . . . [Full text of this article]

Suzanne D Fields, MD

SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine
Stony Brook, New York, USA