Delirium after emergency hip surgery – common and serious, but rarely consented for

Table 1 Confusion assessment method – adapted from Inouye et al[20]

Feature 1 Acute onset and fluctuating course

Is there evidence of an acute change in mental status from the patient's baseline? Does the abnormal behaviour fluctuate during the day?

Feature 2 Inattention

Does the patient have difficulty focusing attention, e.g., easily distractible, difficulty keeping track of what was being said?

Feature 3 Disorganised thinking

Is the patient's thinking disorganised or incoherent, such as rambling or irrelevant conversation?

Feature 4 Altered level of consciousness

Is the patient’s level of consciousness reduced?

Features 1 and 2 and either 3 and 4 are required for a diagnosis of delirium