Validity and reliability of the DDS for severity of delirium in the ICU.

Introduction: Until now, there has been no gold standard for monitoring delirium in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. In this prospective cohort study, a new score, the Delirium Detection Score (DDS), for severity of delirium in the ICU was evaluated.

Methods: After ethical approval and written informed consent, intensive care doctors and nurses assessed 1073 consecutive patients in surgical ICUs using the DDS together with the Ramsay Sedation Scale (RSS).