Diagnosis Of Delirium: Development Of A Modified, German Version Of The Cam

Delirium ("acute confusional state") denotes a mental disorder, which occurs suddenly and has an organic cause. It is characterised by rapid fluctuations of consciousness and attention. This disorder increases in frequency with patients of higher age and causes the health care system considerable costs by prolonged hospital stays and poorer outcomes. In this context it seems to be necessary that this disorder is recognized as early as possible, particularly in geriatric care. A german version of the international widely used Confusion Assessment Method has been developed and modified for the needs of a department for geriatric acute care. In the following, development and first experiences with this tool are presented.