Revista española de geriatría y gerontología
-
Rev Esp Geriatr Gerontol · Jul 2010
Comparative Study[Cognitive assessment of elderly patients in the emergency department: a comparison between standard tools, medical records and physicians' perception].
We evaluated the accuracy of physician recognition of cognitive impairment in elderly patients in emergency departments (ED). In particular, we evaluated the accuracy of the subjective impression of the physician on patients' cognition (a comparison of the information obtained from the responsible physician with the S-IQCODE, a cognitive impairment screening test), and the accuracy of the medical records (a comparison of the information in the medical record with the S-IQCODE). ⋯ The cognitive status of elderly patients is not properly assessed by emergency department physicians.