Testing the Validity of the "Modified Confusion Assessment Method for the Emergency Department" (mCAM-ED)"

Testing the Validity of the "Modified Confusion Assessment Method for the Emergency Department" (mCAM-ED)" for the Recognition of Delirium in Elderly Patient Admitted to the Emergency Department

The proposed Study validates the accuracy of the modified Confusion Assessment Method for the Emergency Department

Delirium is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome with sudden change in cognition such as disturbance in orientation or memory particularly in elderly patients in the context of acute illness. Multiple complications such as falls or increased duration of hospitalisation may result in delirium. Long-term consequences may result in increased mortality rates and higher admissions rates to nursing homes. In 2012, delirium prevalence in the Emergency Department (ED) of the University Hospital Basel was 9.5% in patients with 65 years and over. Although a systematic delirium management was introduced in 2012, without systematic screening delirium detection rates varies between 20 and 40% only. The risk of non-detection over the complete hospitalisation is high when early delirium detection did not occur in the ED. In a preliminary evaluation we could show the usefulness of the mCAM-ED

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age >= 65 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients under resuscitation or fatal illness
• not speaking German
• being aphasic
• being deaf