The detection of delirium in acutely ill older patients is challenging with the lack of informants and the necessity to identify subtle and fluctuating signs. We conducted a cross-sectional study among older patients admitted to a university hospital in Malaysia to determine the presence, characteristics, and mortality outcomes of delirium. Consecutive patients aged ≥65years admitted to acute medical wards were recruited from August to September 2016. Cognitive screening was performed using the mini-mental test examination (MMSE) and the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). The CAM-Severity (CAM-S) score was also performed in all patients. Of 161 patients recruited, 43 (26.7%) had delirium. At least one feature of delirium from the CAM-S short and long severity scores were present in 48.4% and 67.1%, respectively. Older age (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01-1.14), immobility (OR: 3.16, 95% CI: 1.18-8.50), cognitive impairment (OR: 5.04, 95% CI: 2.07-12.24), and malnutrition (OR: 3.37; 95% CI: 1.15-9.85) were significantly associated with delirium. Older patients with delirium had a higher risk of mortality (OR: 7.87, 95% CI: 2.42-25.57). Delirium is common among older patients in our setting. A large proportion of patients had altered mental status on admission to hospital although they did not fulfill the CAM criteria of delirium. This should prompt further studies on strategies to identify delirium and the use of newer, more appropriate assessment tools in this group of vulnerable individuals.
Keywords: Malaysia; confusion; delirium; hospital; inpatient; older.