Abstract
Abstract
Objectives: Prevalence of delirium is increased in patients with dementia.
Monitoring of the severity of Delirium Superimposed on Dementia (DSD) may
help to improve the quality of care in patients suffering from this condition. This
proof-of-concept study aims to provide a first exploration of the reliability, validity
and sensitivity to change of the Delirium-In-Dementia-Assessment-Scale
(DIDAS), a 10-item nurses’ observation scale to be used as a tool to screen for
symptoms and measure severity of DSD.
Methods: A first cross sectional and repeated measurement study of the
DIDAS was conducted in a closed psychogeriatric unit of a general psychiatric
hospital. All patients admitted to this ward were enrolled in this study to assess
DIDAS’ validity, reliability, discriminative power and ability to measure delirium
severity.
Results: 589 DIDAS questionnaires were completed in 17 patients yielding
a high internal consistency (α = 0.86) for the total DIDAS scores. Mean day
DIDAS scores were significantly higher in patients with DSD compared to
patients without DSD (Cohen’s d 1.02). The effect size on item level ranged
from Cohen’s d of 0.27 to 0.72. A statistically significant correlation (Spearman’s
Rho 0.626) was found between the mean DIDAS score per patient per day and
a Likert score for global clinical severity.
Conclusion: The DIDAS seems a reliable instrument for nurses to measure
severity of DSD and monitor the course of DSD severity over time
Objectives: Prevalence of delirium is increased in patients with dementia.
Monitoring of the severity of Delirium Superimposed on Dementia (DSD) may
help to improve the quality of care in patients suffering from this condition. This
proof-of-concept study aims to provide a first exploration of the reliability, validity
and sensitivity to change of the Delirium-In-Dementia-Assessment-Scale
(DIDAS), a 10-item nurses’ observation scale to be used as a tool to screen for
symptoms and measure severity of DSD.
Methods: A first cross sectional and repeated measurement study of the
DIDAS was conducted in a closed psychogeriatric unit of a general psychiatric
hospital. All patients admitted to this ward were enrolled in this study to assess
DIDAS’ validity, reliability, discriminative power and ability to measure delirium
severity.
Results: 589 DIDAS questionnaires were completed in 17 patients yielding
a high internal consistency (α = 0.86) for the total DIDAS scores. Mean day
DIDAS scores were significantly higher in patients with DSD compared to
patients without DSD (Cohen’s d 1.02). The effect size on item level ranged
from Cohen’s d of 0.27 to 0.72. A statistically significant correlation (Spearman’s
Rho 0.626) was found between the mean DIDAS score per patient per day and
a Likert score for global clinical severity.
Conclusion: The DIDAS seems a reliable instrument for nurses to measure
severity of DSD and monitor the course of DSD severity over time
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1069 |
| Journal | Gerontology & Geriatrics |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 7 May 2022 |