DTS/bCAM combination: Delirium Triage Screen/Brief Confusion Assessment Method combination
2013A two-stage emergency-department pathway in which the highly sensitive DTS is followed by the more specific bCAM. It is a workflow using two existing tools, not a third independent instrument.
Classification
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Tool and original sources
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Original paper
- Original paperHan JH, Wilson A, Vasilevskis EE, Shintani A, Schnelle JF, Dittus RS, et al. Diagnosing delirium in older emergency department patients: validity and reliability of the delirium triage screen and the brief confusion assessment method. Annals of emergency medicine. 2013;62(5):457-465. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2013.05.003. PMID: 23916018.
This paper reports the original validation of DTS/bCAM combination. It reported sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 95.8% against an independent DSM-IV-TR clinical assessment.
At a glance
- Purpose
- Episodic assessment
- Population
- Adult
- Setting
- Emergency department
- Time
- variable
- Score or threshold
- DTS then bCAM positive
Format: This site classifies it under episodic assessment. It is intended for adult use in Emergency department. The stated administration time is variable. The published result is recorded using DTS then bCAM positive.
Evidence
Reported sensitivity and specificity
Original/source study · 2013 — pmid:23916018
- Denominator
- Reported source unit: 406 (analysis unit not fully reconciled)
- Reference standard
- Clinician psychiatrist DSM-IV-TR delirium assessment
Earliest DTA evaluation identified in the current audit; see the linked source and methodological caveats.
More evidence and citation details
- Full name
- Delirium Triage Screen/Brief Confusion Assessment Method combination
- Also known as
- DTS/bCAM, DTS and bCAM combination
- Evidence summary
- single-DTA
- Diagnostic-accuracy studies
- 2
- Reference standard
- Clinician psychiatrist DSM-IV-TR delirium assessment
- Citation
- Han JH, Wilson A, Vasilevskis EE, Shintani A, Schnelle JF, Dittus RS, Graves AJ, Storrow AB, Shuster J, Ely EW Diagnosing delirium in older emergency department patients: validity and reliability of the delirium triage screen and the brief confusion assessment method Annals of emergency medicine. 2013;62(5):457-465. PMID 23916018
Copyright and reuse
- Information checked
- 2026-07-19
Instrument-specific terms apply. See the access and copyright policy or send a correction.
Sources checked 2026-07-29. How profiles are prepared.