EMS delirium checklist — Emergency medical services rapid delirium checklist

What this tool is and how to interpret its evidence

Published in 2013, EMS delirium checklist is described here as screening / case-finding, ultra-brief bedside screen for adults aged 65 years or older transported by emergency medical services. The linked study examined it in Prehospital / emergency medical services, Emergency department. The recorded form contains 4 scored items or observations. The reported administration time is rapid EMS observation; exact completion time not reported in the abstract. The catalogue records the published scoring or threshold information as Positive if any of four features is present.

The linked source is Frisch A and colleagues, Diagnostic accuracy of a rapid checklist to identify delirium in older patients transported by EMS in Prehospital emergency care (2013); this catalogue treats it as original diagnostic-accuracy evaluation against trained-investigator CAM-ICU, not independent expert DSM diagnosis. For EMS delirium checklist, the evidence stage is one eligible diagnostic-accuracy study. The reconciled DTA dataset associates 1 eligible study with EMS delirium checklist.

Recorded limitations include moderate sensitivity and specificity; EMS observations were compared with CAM-ICU rather than an independent expert DSM assessment. The EMS delirium checklist case-finding role should be kept separate from a full clinical diagnosis and investigation of underlying causes. For EMS delirium checklist, no verified public instrument form is recorded; the source article documents the tool but is not a substitute administration form.