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DTS/bCAM combination: Delirium Triage Screen/Brief Confusion Assessment Method combination

2013

A 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.

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.

Primary validation papers

2 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

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

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

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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.

    Open PubMed ↗
Multiple DTA studies identifiedAssessment workflow
Classification

Classification

Episodic assessment

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

Evidence

Diagnostic-accuracy evidenceMultiple DTA studies identified

Reported sensitivity and specificity

Headline metric source

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
84%
Sensitivity
95.8%
Specificity

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
Related profiles
bCAM, DTS
Evidence summary
single-DTA
Diagnostic-accuracy evaluations
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
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.

Open 2 identified papers
  1. Han JH, Wilson A, Vasilevskis EE, Shintani A, Schnelle JF, Dittus RS, Graves AJ, Storrow AB, Shuster J, Ely EW (2013). 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.

    Reference category: independent clinical reference.

  2. Sederstrom JR, Aliory CD, Hanneman EM, Buras MR (2021). Delirium Triage Screen/Brief Confusion Assessment Method in Adult Orthopaedic and Hematological Patients: A Validation Study. Orthopedic nursing.

    Reference category: other comparator or secondary accuracy evidence.

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.