Background: Delirium is a common symptom following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that is often overlooked by healthcare professionals. Early detection of post-traumatic delirium is crucial to improving patient outcomes and quality of life. The four As Test (4AT: alertness, attention, abbreviated mental test-4, and acute mental changes) is a brief and rapid tool for delirium assessment with acceptable reliability and validity. However, the 4AT has not yet been translated for use in the Taiwanese population.
Objective: To translate the 4AT into Traditional Chinese (TC-4AT), assess its reliability and validity, and explore the clinical effects of delirium in patients with TBI.
Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at the neurosurgery wards of two Taiwanese hospitals. Patients who were aged 20 years and older, were diagnosed with a TBI, and had a Glasgow Coma Scale score between 13 and 15 were included. Interrater reliability was assessed, and validity was verified using criterion-related comparisons with the Short Confusion Assessment Method (Short CAM). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria were employed to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the TC-4AT for screening post-TBI delirium.
Results: A total of 100 patients with an average age of 67 years were enrolled, of whom 10% were diagnosed with delirium based on the DSM-5 criteria. The interrater reliability of the TC-4AT was 1.00. Patients with delirium tended to have a longer hospital stay than those without delirium (13 days vs. 7 days) although the difference was nonsignificant (P = 0.28). In terms of criterion validity, patients diagnosed with delirium using the Short CAM had a significantly higher score on the TC-4AT than those not diagnosed with delirium (P < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that the optimal cutoff point was 4, with sensitivity, specificity, and area under the characteristic curve of 0.90, 0.94, and 0.96, respectively.
Conclusion: The TC-4AT is an accurate tool for delirium assessment that aids early detection and informs decision-making in preventive care.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaclp.2024.12.005 | DOI Listing |
J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry
January 2025
School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address:
Background: Delirium is a common symptom following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that is often overlooked by healthcare professionals. Early detection of post-traumatic delirium is crucial to improving patient outcomes and quality of life. The four As Test (4AT: alertness, attention, abbreviated mental test-4, and acute mental changes) is a brief and rapid tool for delirium assessment with acceptable reliability and validity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA A Pract
January 2025
Anaesthesia and Critical Care Section, Academic Unit of Injury, Inflammation and Repair, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Background: Hypotension during anesthesia for surgery for hip fracture is common and associated with myocardial injury, stroke, acute kidney injury, and delirium. We hypothesized that maintaining intraoperative blood pressure close to patients' preoperative values would reduce these complications compared to usual care.
Methods: A pilot feasibility patient- and assessor-blinded parallel group randomized controlled trial.
Br J Anaesth
January 2025
Department of Anaesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy. Electronic address:
There is a complex association between postoperative pain and postoperative delirium, which highlights the need for a more balanced approach to pain management that considers various risk factors. We emphasise the importance of comprehensive documentation and standardised monitoring to improve detection and management of postoperative delirium, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes. We advocate for a precision anaesthesia approach, which tailors care to individual patient profiles, as a potential solution to address these challenges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrials
January 2025
Department of Neurology, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Fleischmannstraße 6, Greifswald, 17489, Germany.
Background: Postoperative delirium (POD) is the most common neurological adverse event among elderly patients undergoing surgery. POD is associated with an increased risk for postoperative complications, long-term cognitive decline, an increase in morbidity and mortality as well as extended hospital stays. Delirium prevention and treatment options are currently limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Health Serv Res
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey.
Background: Many variables may affect approaches of psychiatrists to methamphetamine-associated psychotic disorder (MAP) treatment. This study was aimed to reach adult psychiatrists actively practicing in Turkey through an internet-based survey and to determine their practices and attitudes to MAP treatment.
Methods: In this internet-based study, participants were divided into three groups based on their answers: Those who do not follow-up any MAP patient were group 1 (n = 78), partially involved in the treatment process of at least one patient diagnosed with MAP were group 2 (n = 128), completely involved in the treatment process of at least one patient diagnosed with MAP were group 3 (n = 202).
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