← All public profiles

DSS: Delirium Severity Scale

1998

A 10-minute, two-component cognitive measure developed to track delirium severity in older general-hospital inpatients without dementia. It is a severity measure, not a delirium detection test.

At a glance

Purpose
Measurement of delirium severity
Population
Adult
Setting
General / acute hospital
Time
10 min
Test components
2: Forward Digit Span and Similarities
Score or threshold
Severity score 0–59; higher scores indicate better performance. No diagnostic cutoff.

Format: A 10-minute severity assessment consisting of Forward Digit Span and Similarities. It is intended to quantify change in delirium severity, not to establish the diagnosis.

  • Strengths: Correlated with expert severity ratings and changed with clinical improvement
  • Limitations: Small original sample; excluded dementia; not a delirium detection test

Primary validation papers

0 identified diagnostic-accuracy papers

Other forms of validation are described in the evidence section. What is counted?

Large-scale clinical implementation

Not yet reviewed.

A focused implementation review has not yet been completed for this profile.

Training and instructions

  • DSS form. Public instrument material checked on 5 September 2026. Follow the source’s version and permission conditions.
Start here

Tool and original sources

A source for the tool or its access information is linked below. Check the version and current terms before use, copying or adaptation.

View the hosted tool ↗

Original paper

  • Original paperBettin KM, Maletta GJ, Dysken MW, Jilk KM, Weldon DT, Kuskowski M, et al. Measuring delirium severity in older general hospital inpatients without dementia. The Delirium Severity Scale. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. 1998;6(4):296-307. PMID: 9793578.

    This is the original published source for DSS. It is the main source for the method, its intended use and the evidence available at publication.

    Open PubMed ↗
No eligible DTA study identifiedCore instrument family
Classification

Classification

Measurement of delirium severity

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

Evidence

Diagnostic-accuracy evidenceNo eligible DTA study identified

Reported sensitivity and specificity

;
Sensitivity
;
Specificity

10-minute severity measure (Forward Digit Span + Similarities); tracked expert severity ratings over time (n=22 delirium, 15 controls).

More evidence and citation details
Full name
Delirium Severity Scale
Also known as
DSS
Evidence summary
psychometric-validation
Citation
Bettin KM, Maletta GJ, Dysken MW, Jilk KM, Weldon DT, Kuskowski M, Mach JR Jr Measuring delirium severity in older general hospital inpatients without dementia. The Delirium Severity Scale The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. 1998;6(4):296-307. PMID 9793578
Download RIS ↗ Download BibTeX ↗

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.

No eligible diagnostic-accuracy paper is currently included in this audit. This does not mean the tool has never been validated. The source paper and other evidence on this profile may concern severity, reliability or another measurement purpose.

Copyright and reuse
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.