A narrative review of the development and performance characteristics of electronic delirium-screening tools.

BACKGROUND

Electronic delirium-screening tools are an emergent area of research.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to summarise the development and performance characteristics of electronic screening tools in delirium.

METHODS

Searches were conducted in Pubmed, Embase, and CINAHL Complete databases to identify electronic delirium-screening tools.

RESULTS

Five electronic delirium-screening tools were identified and reviewed. Two were designed for and tested within a medical setting, and three were applied to intensive care. Adaptive design features, such as skip function to reduce test burden, were variably integrated into instrument design. All tools were shown to have acceptable psychometric properties, but validation studies were largely incomplete.

CONCLUSIONS

Electronic delirium-screening tools are an exciting area of development and may offer hope for improved uptake of delirium screening.