EMS delirium checklist: Emergency medical services rapid delirium checklist

2013

A four-feature prehospital checklist for delirium signs observed by emergency medical services staff. The evaluation used a trained investigator's CAM-ICU assessment as the comparator rather than an independent expert DSM diagnosis.

At a glance

Purpose: Episodic assessment
Population: Adult
Setting: Prehospital / emergency medical services, Emergency department
Time: rapid EMS observation; exact completion time not reported in the abstract
Items: 4
Score or threshold: Positive if any of four features is present

Format: A four-feature prehospital checklist covering acute change or fluctuation, inattention, disorganised thinking and altered level of consciousness assessed with RASS. The study treated any reported feature as positive.

Limitations: Moderate sensitivity and specificity; EMS observations were compared with CAM-ICU rather than an independent expert DSM assessment

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.

Original paper

Original paperFrisch A, Miller T, Haag A, Martin-Gill C, Guyette FX, Suffoletto BP. Diagnostic accuracy of a rapid checklist to identify delirium in older patients transported by EMS. Prehospital emergency care. 2013;17(2):230-4. doi: 10.3109/10903127.2012.744785. PMID: 23281619.
This paper reports the original validation of EMS delirium checklist. It reported sensitivity of 63% and specificity of 74% against CAM-ICU administered by a trained investigator.
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One DTA study identifiedCore instrument family

Classification

Episodic assessment Ultra-brief bedside tools

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Evidence

Diagnostic-accuracy evidenceOne DTA study identified

Reported sensitivity and specificity

Headline metric source

Original/source study · 2013; pmid:23281619

Denominator: Reported source unit: 259 (analysis unit not fully reconciled)
Reference standard: CAM-ICU administered by a trained investigator

63%

Sensitivity

74%

Specificity

Compared with trained-investigator CAM-ICU; GCS below 15 had sensitivity 67% and specificity 85% in the same cohort.

More evidence and citation details

Full name: Emergency medical services rapid delirium checklist
Also known as: rapid delirium checklist, EMS delirium checklist
Evidence summary: single-comparative-study
Diagnostic-accuracy evaluations: 1
Reference standard: CAM-ICU administered by a trained investigator
Citation: Frisch A, Miller T, Haag A, Martin-Gill C, Guyette FX, Suffoletto BP Diagnostic accuracy of a rapid checklist to identify delirium in older patients transported by EMS Prehospital emergency care. 2013;17(2):230-4. PMID 23281619

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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

Frisch A, Miller T, Haag A, Martin-Gill C, Guyette FX, Suffoletto BP (2013). Diagnostic accuracy of a rapid checklist to identify delirium in older patients transported by EMS. Prehospital emergency care.
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.

EMS delirium checklist: Emergency medical services rapid delirium checklist

At a glance

Primary validation papers

Large-scale clinical implementation