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Tools to Detect Delirium Superimposed on Dementia: A Systematic Review
Author(s) -
Morandi Alessandro,
McCurley Jessica,
Vasilevskis Eduard E.,
Fick Donna M.,
Bellelli Giuseppe,
Lee Patricia,
Jackson James C.,
Shenkin Susan D.,
Schnelle John,
Inouye Sharon K.,
Ely E. Wesley,
MacLullich Alasdair
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.04199.x
Subject(s) - delirium , dementia , medicine , population , psychiatry , intensive care medicine , disease , environmental health
Objectives To identify valid tools to diagnose delirium superimposed on dementia. Design Systematic review of studies of delirium tools that explicitly included individuals with dementia. Setting Hospital. Participants Studies were included if delirium assessment tools were validated against standard criteria, and the presence of dementia was assessed according to standard criteria that used validated instruments. Measurements Pub M ed, E mbase, and Web of Science databases were searched for articles in E nglish published between J anuary 1960 and J anuary 2012. Results Nine studies fulfilled the selection criteria. Of 1,569 participants, 401 had dementia, and 50 had delirium superimposed on dementia. Six delirium tools were evaluated. One study using the C onfusion A ssessment M ethod ( CAM ) with 85% of participants with dementia had high specificity (96–100%) and moderate sensitivity (77%). Two intensive care unit studies that used the CAM for the I ntensive C are U nit ( CAM ‐ ICU ) reported 100% sensitivity and specificity for delirium in 23 individuals with dementia. One study using electroencephalography reported sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 91% in a population with a 100% prevalence of dementia. No studies examined potential effects of dementia severity or subtype on diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions The evidence base on tools for detection of delirium superimposed on dementia is limited, although some existing tools show promise. Further studies of existing or refined tools with larger samples and more‐detailed characterization of dementia are required to address the identification of delirium superimposed on dementia.