Delirium is an acute state of confusion that commonly affects older adults and often goes unrecognized by health care professionals. The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for delirium include A) a disturbance in attention and awareness; B) the disturbance develops over a short period of time (hours to days), represents a change from baseline attention and awareness, and tends to fluctuate in severity during the course of the day; C) an additional disturbance in cognition (i.e. memory deficit, disorientation, language, visuospatial ability, or perception); D) the disturbances are not better explained by another neuro-cognitive disorder and do not occur int he context of a severely reduced level of arousal (i.e. coma); E) evidence from the history, physical exam, or laboratory findings that the disturbance is a direct physiological consequence of another medical condition, substances intoxication or withdrawal, or exposure to a toxin, or is due to multiple etiologies.
Would you be able to recognize the presence of delirium in a patient? To find out more about this medical emergency visit This is Not My Mom.
Would you be able to recognize the presence of delirium in a patient? To find out more about this medical emergency visit This is Not My Mom.
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