CAC-B: Clinical Assessment of Confusion-B

1992

A 58-item nursing assessment of confusion comprising one screening item and seven behavioural and functional subscales. The original 1992 source established content and reliability properties, not criterion validity for delirium.

At a glance

Purpose: Episodic assessment
Population: Adult
Setting: General / acute hospital, Long-term / care home
Time: ~10 min
Items: 58
Score or threshold: Study-defined CAC-B cutoff; exact cutoff pending

Format: CAC-B contains 58 ratings organised as one screening item and seven subscales spanning cognition, behaviour, motor and sensory function, orientation, safety, psychiatric behaviour, and interaction or daily function. Ratings reflect severity and persistence over observation, typically taking about ten minutes.

Training and instructions

Public training resources have not yet been confirmed in this review. Check the linked developer or original source for instructions.

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Tool and original sources

This record describes a method rather than a downloadable bedside form. The main source is linked below.

NIDUS information cards ↗

Original paper

Source bookFunk SG, ed.. Key Aspects of Elder Care: Managing Falls, Incontinence, and Cognitive Impairment. Springer Publishing Company. 1992.
This is the principal published source for CAC-B itself. It is the main source for the method, its intended use and the evidence available at publication.
Open source ↗

One DTA study identifiedVersion or adaptation

Classification

Episodic assessment Monitoring for new onset delirium Detailed phenomenological and/or neuropsychological assessment

A tool may belong to more than one category. Select a linked category to see other relevant profiles.

Evidence

Diagnostic-accuracy evidenceOne DTA study identified

Reported sensitivity and specificity

Headline metric source

Later validation or evaluation · 2002; pmid:11829220

Denominator: Reported source unit: 74 (analysis unit not fully reconciled)
Reference standard: DSM-IV criteria for delirium

89.7%

Sensitivity

76.1%

Specificity

Earliest DTA evaluation identified in the current audit; see the linked source and methodological caveats.

More evidence and citation details

Full name: Clinical Assessment of Confusion-B
Also known as: CAC-B, Clinical Assessment of Confusion B
Related profiles: CAC-A
Evidence summary: single-DTA
Diagnostic-accuracy evaluations: 1
Reference standard: DSM-IV criteria for delirium
Citation: Funk SG, ed. Key Aspects of Elder Care: Managing Falls, Incontinence, and Cognitive Impairment Springer Publishing Company. 1992;.

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Primary validation studies

Distinct primary publications from the current diagnostic-accuracy audit. Reviews and repeated evaluations within one paper are not counted again. Overlapping cohorts have not all been reconciled. Read the counting rules and limitations.

Open 1 identified paper

Cacchione PZ (2002). Four acute confusion assessment instruments: reliability and validity for use in long-term care facilities. Journal of gerontological nursing.
Reference category: other comparator or secondary accuracy evidence.

Information checked: 2026-07-19

Instrument-specific terms apply. See the access and copyright policy or send a correction.

Base clinical review: 2026-07-29. Instrument description source check: 2026-09-05. Scope and limitations.

CAC-B: Clinical Assessment of Confusion-B

At a glance

Primary validation papers

Large-scale clinical implementation