• Nicolai Goettel and Alexandra S Wueest.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
• Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2023 Oct 1; 36 (5): 491499491-499.

Purpose Of ReviewThis article reviews the current literature on instruments used for screening and diagnosing delirium in perioperative and intensive care medicine. It summarizes recent findings to guide clinicians and researchers in choosing the most appropriate tools.Recent FindingsThe incidence of delirium in hospitalized patients ranges from 5% to over 50%, depending on the population of patients studied. Failure to diagnose delirium in a timely manner is associated with serious adverse outcomes, including death and institutionalization. Valid assessment tests are needed for delirium detection, as early identification and treatment of delirium may help to prevent complications. Currently, there are more than 30 available instruments, which have been developed to assist with the screening and diagnosis of delirium. However, these tools vary greatly in sensitivity, specificity, and administration time, and their overabundance challenges the selection of specific tool as well as direct comparisons and interpretation of results across studies.SummaryOverlooking or misdiagnosing delirium may result in poor patient outcomes. Familiarizing healthcare workers with the variety of delirium assessments and selecting the most appropriate tool to their needs is an important step toward improving awareness and recognition of delirium.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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