psCAM-ICU: Preschool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU
2016psCAM-ICU is a developmentally adapted CAM-family assessment for critically ill infants and preschool children.
Classification
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Tool and original sources
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Original and selected diagnostic-accuracy papers
- Original paperSmith HA, Gangopadhyay M, Goben CM, Jacobowski NL, Chestnut MH, Savage S, et al. The Preschool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU: Valid and Reliable Delirium Monitoring for Critically Ill Infants and Children. Critical care medicine. 2016;44(3):592-600. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000001428. PMID: 26565631.
This is the original published source for psCAM-ICU. It reported sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 91% against an independent DSM-IV-TR clinical assessment.
- Selected diagnostic-accuracy studyPaterson RS, Kenardy JA, Dow BL, De Young AC, Pearson K, Aitken LM, et al. Accuracy of delirium assessments in critically ill children: A prospective, observational study during routine care. Australian critical care : official journal of the Confederation of Australian Critical Care Nurses. 2021;34(3):226-234. doi: 10.1016/j.aucc.2020.07.012. PMID: 33909556.
This diagnostic-accuracy study evaluated psCAM-ICU in 36-bed mixed paediatric ICU at an Australian tertiary hospital against a DSM-5 clinical assessment. It reported sensitivity of 58.8% and specificity of 89.8% in Critically ill children developmentally aged 6 months to 17 years.
- Systematic review of diagnostic accuracyRohmah I, Chen YC, Lin CJ, Tsao NH, Chiu HY. Diagnostic accuracy of the pediatric CAM-ICU, pre-school CAM-ICU, Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium and Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium for detecting delirium in the pediatric intensive care unit: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Intensive & critical care nursing. 2024;82:103606. doi: 10.1016/j.iccn.2023.103606. PMID: 38158251.
This systematic review synthesised diagnostic-accuracy evidence for psCAM-ICU. Across 5 studies involving Five psCAM-ICU diagnostic-accuracy studies, pooled sensitivity was 84% and specificity was 90%.
At a glance
- Purpose
- Episodic assessment
- Population
- Paediatric
- Setting
- Intensive care
- Time
- ~2 min
- Items
- 4
- Score or threshold
- Developmentally adapted CAM-family classification; see the authorised materials.
Format: A four-feature, developmentally adapted CAM-family assessment for critically ill infants and preschool children, reported at about two minutes. Tasks, prompts, thresholds and decision logic are not reproduced here.
Evidence
Reported sensitivity and specificity
Original/source study · 2016 — pmid:26565631
- Denominator
- Reported source unit: 530 (analysis unit not fully reconciled)
- Reference standard
- Child/adolescent psychiatrist DSM-IV-TR/DSM-5-compatible delirium assessment with clinical collateral
Original validation, n=300.
More evidence and citation details
- Full name
- Preschool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU
- Also known as
- psCAM-ICU, Preschool CAM-ICU
- Evidence summary
- multi
- Diagnostic-accuracy studies
- 5
- Reference standard
- Child/adolescent psychiatrist DSM-IV-TR/DSM-5-compatible delirium assessment with clinical collateral
- Citation
- Smith HA, Gangopadhyay M, Goben CM, Jacobowski NL, Chestnut MH, Savage S, Rutherford MT, Denton D, Thompson JL, Chandrasekhar R, Acton M, Newman J, Noori HP, Terrell MK, Williams SR, Griffith K, Cooper TJ, Ely EW, Fuchs DC, Pandharipande PP The Preschool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU: Valid and Reliable Delirium Monitoring for Critically Ill Infants and Children Critical care medicine. 2016;44(3):592-600. PMID 26565631
Copyright and reuse
- Version
- Use the current version supplied by CIBS
- 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.