Open AccessDiagnosing Delirium by Telephone
Author(s) -
Marcantonio Edward R.,
Michaels Mary,
Resnick Neil M.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of general internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.746
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 1525-1497
pISSN - 0884-8734
DOI - 10.1046/j.1525-1497.1998.00185.x
Subject(s) - delirium , medicine , confusion , telephone interview , gold standard (test) , face to face , telephone survey , psychiatry , psychology , social science , philosophy , epistemology , marketing , sociology , psychoanalysis , business
To determine whether delirium can be diagnosed by telephone, we interviewed 41 subjects aged 65 years or older 1 month after repair of hip fracture, first by telephone and then face‐to‐face. Interviews included the modified telephone Mini‐Mental State Examination and the Delirium Symptom Interview. Delirium was diagnosed using the Confusion Assessment Method diagnostic algorithm, and the telephone results were compared with the face‐to‐face results (the “gold standard”). Of 41 subjects, 6 were delirious by face‐to‐face assessment; all 6 were delirious by telephone (sensitivity 1.00). Of 35 patients not delirious by face‐to‐face assessment, 33 patients were not delirious by telephone (specificity = 0.94). We conclude that telephone interviews can effectively rule out delirium, but the positive diagnosis should be confirmed by a face‐to‐face assessment, especially in populations with a low prevalence of delirium.