Study Reveals Best Tools for Measuring Severity of Delirium

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine detailed the best available tools to assess severity of diagnosed delirium in hospitalized persons, reports Medical Xpress . The researchers mined databases including 9,409 articles that addressed measurement of delirium severity, identifying six final high-quality instruments. The cited tools were the Confusion Assessment Method, Confusional State Examination, Delirium-O-Meter, Delirium Observation Scale, Delirium Rating Scale, and Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale. These measures will facilitate accurate quantification of delirium severity to improve clinical care, with the goal of encouraging greater usage. "The time is right to advance measurement of delirium severity: measurement is important, impactful, and efforts to stratify risk, target treatment, and monitor for outcomes are already possible and feasible with existing approaches," noted Harvard Medical School Professor Sharon K. Inouye. Meanwhile, Brown University's Richard N. Jones said, "Measurements of delirium severity should play an important role in the advancement of clinical care and research for persons with delirium."