← All public profiles

SSQ: Single Screening Question for Delirium

2015

A single informant/screening question for delirium case-finding, in the same spirit as the SQiD.

At a glance

Purpose
Episodic assessment
Population
Adult
Time
<1 min
Items
1
Score or threshold
Positive or negative single-question case-finding result; see the source for the exact wording and rule.

Format: A single informant screening question concerning possible delirium, normally completed in under one minute. The exact prompt and response rule are not reproduced here.

CAM usually means the four-feature short form; the long form has ten items. Check which form and supporting assessment the study used. Short and long CAM explained.

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.

Start here

Tool and original sources

This record describes a method rather than a downloadable bedside form. The main source is linked below.

Original and selected diagnostic-accuracy papers

  • First reported evaluationHendry K, Quinn TJ, Evans JJ, Stott DJ. Informant single screening questions for delirium and dementia in acute care--a cross-sectional test accuracy pilot study. BMC geriatrics. 2015;15:17. doi: 10.1186/s12877-015-0016-1. PMID: 25885022.

    This is the principal published source for SSQ. It reported sensitivity of 76.9% and specificity of 56.1% against CAM.

    Open PubMed ↗Download article PDF ↓

    Article PDF: CC BY. This licence applies to the article PDF and does not grant rights to reproduce the tool.

  • Selected diagnostic-accuracy studyHan JH, Wilson A, Schnelle JF, Dittus RS, Ely EW. An evaluation of single question delirium screening tools in older emergency department patients. The American journal of emergency medicine. 2018;36(7):1249-1252. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2018.03.060. PMID: 29699898.

    This diagnostic-accuracy study evaluated SSQ in emergency department against an independent DSM-IV-TR clinical assessment. It reported sensitivity of 77.1% and specificity of 87.5% in 406 English-speaking emergency patients aged 65 years or older; 50 delirium cases.

    Open PubMed ↗
Multiple DTA studies identifiedCore instrument family
Classification

Classification

Episodic assessmentInformant toolsUltra-brief bedside tools

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 · 2015; pmid:25885022

Denominator
Reported source unit: 70 (analysis unit not fully reconciled)
Reference standard
CAM
76.9%
Sensitivity
56.1%
Specificity

Earliest DTA evaluation identified in the current audit; see the linked source and methodological caveats.

More evidence and citation details
Full name
Single Screening Question for Delirium
Also known as
SSQ, Single Screening Question
Evidence summary
multi
Diagnostic-accuracy evaluations
2
Reference standard
CAM
Citation
Hendry K, Quinn TJ, Evans JJ, Stott DJ Informant single screening questions for delirium and dementia in acute care--a cross-sectional test accuracy pilot study BMC geriatrics. 2015;15:17. PMID 25885022
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. Hendry K, Quinn TJ, Evans JJ, Stott DJ (2015). Informant single screening questions for delirium and dementia in acute care--a cross-sectional test accuracy pilot study. BMC geriatrics.

    Reference category: other comparator or secondary accuracy evidence.

  2. Han JH, Wilson A, Schnelle JF, Dittus RS, Ely EW (2018). An evaluation of single question delirium screening tools in older emergency department patients. The American journal of emergency medicine.

    Reference category: independent clinical reference.

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.