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- Title
Diagnosing delirium by telephone.
- Authors
Marcantonio, Edward R.; Sm; Michaels, Mary; Resnick, Neil M.; Marcantonio; Marcantonio, E R; Michaels, M; Resnick, N M
- Abstract
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.
- Subjects
DIAGNOSIS of delirium; TELEPHONES
- Publication
JGIM: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 1998, Vol 13, Issue 9, p621
- ISSN
0884-8734
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1046/j.1525-1497.1998.00185.x