Classification

Categories of delirium assessment tools

The simplest way to start is with the clinical use you have in mind. The categories below come from A classification of delirium assessment tools (Delirium Words, 2020) and are updated for this expanded directory.

A tool may appear in more than one category. These are practical routes into the directory, not steps in a clinical pathway and not a ranking of the tools.

Browse the categories

Episodic assessment Monitoring for new onset delirium in inpatients, usually carried out daily or more Use in intensive care units Ultra-brief bedside tools Detailed phenomenological and/or neuropsychological assessment Informant tools Measurement of delirium severity Motor symptoms assessment Cognitive tests designed for delirium Assessment of delirium in children

How the categories relate

The list deliberately combines several useful ways of finding a tool. This makes it easier to browse, but it also means the groups overlap.

On a small screen, swipe across the table to see every column.

What each group of categories describes
AspectCategoriesHow to interpret them
When the tool is usedEpisodic assessment; monitoring for new onset deliriumA tool may be used when delirium is first suspected, repeatedly during admission, or in both ways.
Where or in whom it is usedIntensive care; childrenEvidence from one setting or population does not automatically establish suitability in another.
How information is obtainedUltra-brief bedside tools; informant toolsThese describe administration or information source rather than a separate level of diagnostic authority.
What is assessed or measuredDetailed phenomenology or neuropsychology; severity; motor symptoms; cognitionSome tools assess the broader syndrome, while others measure a component, symptom group or course over time.

Disclosure

Professor Alasdair MacLullich, the curator of DeliriumTools.com, helped develop several tools included in the directory. The site declares these interests openly. See the full disclosures.

Selected sources

  1. Schuurmans MJ, et al. The measurement of delirium: review of scales. 2003. PubMed.
  2. Helfand BKI, et al. Detecting delirium in non-ICU settings: a systematic review of validated instruments. 2021. Full text.
  3. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Delirium: prevention, diagnosis and management. CG103, updated 2023. Recommendations.
  4. MacLullich A. A classification of delirium assessment tools. 2020. Delirium Words.