Diagnostic test accuracies of 4AT items are consistent across the range of baseline cognition: results from two prospective studies.

Background Presenting features of delirium can be difficult to distinguish from co-existing dementia phenomenology. While the 4 'A's Test (4AT) is a well validated delirium screening tool across multiple patient populations and healthcare settings, how its diagnostic performance varies across differ...

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Publicado en:Age & Ageing Vol. 55; no. 6; pp. 1 - 10
Autores principales: Hogan, Patrick, Cheston, Hannah, Dunne, Ophelia, Gardner, Dominic, McWhirter, Amy, Rawle, Mark James, Stoodley, Imogen, Richardson, Sarah Joanna, Allan, Louise M, MacLullich, Alasdair M J
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Jun2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jun2026
      vid: 55
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      pub: Oxford University Press / USA
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        10.1093/ageing/afag182
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        atl: Diagnostic test accuracies of 4AT items are consistent across the range of baseline cognition: results from two prospective studies.
      aug:
        au:
          Hogan, Patrick
          Cheston, Hannah
          Dunne, Ophelia
          Gardner, Dominic
          McWhirter, Amy
          Rawle, Mark James
          Stoodley, Imogen
          Richardson, Sarah Joanna
          Allan, Louise M
          MacLullich, Alasdair M J
        affil:
          Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, UK
          Care of the Elderly, Whipps Cross University Hospital, London, England, UKInstitute of Cardiovascular Science, MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK
          Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, 3rd floor Biomedical Research Building Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL, UK
          Centre for Research in Ageing and Cognitive Health, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus Heavitree Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
          Geriatric Medicine, University of Edinburgh MED, F1424, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh 51, Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4SA, UK
      su:
        Classification of mental disorders
        Medical screening
        Diagnosis of delirium
        Cognitive testing
        Research funding
        Secondary analysis
        Receiver operating characteristic curves
        Descriptive statistics
        Longitudinal method
        Confidence intervals
        Data analysis software
        Dementia
        Sensitivity & specificity (Statistics)
      sug:
        subj:
          Classification of mental disorders
          Medical screening
          All Other Miscellaneous Ambulatory Health Care Services
          Diagnosis of delirium
          Cognitive testing
          Research funding
          Secondary analysis
          Receiver operating characteristic curves
          Descriptive statistics
          Longitudinal method
          Confidence intervals
          Data analysis software
          Dementia
          Sensitivity & specificity (Statistics)
      keyword:
        cognition
        copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society
        copyrightYear:2026
        delirium
        dementia
        diagnosis
        diagnostic techniques and procedures
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag182
        inLanguage:en
        older people
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42341202/
        cognition
        copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society
        copyrightYear:2026
        delirium
        dementia
        diagnosis
        diagnostic techniques and procedures
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag182
        inLanguage:en
        older people
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42341202/
      ab: Background Presenting features of delirium can be difficult to distinguish from co-existing dementia phenomenology. While the 4 'A's Test (4AT) is a well validated delirium screening tool across multiple patient populations and healthcare settings, how its diagnostic performance varies across different levels of baseline cognition is unclear. Methods This study harmonises data from two prospective cohorts: the Delirium and Population Health Informatics Cohort (DELPHIC) and Delirium and Cognitive Impact in Dementia (DECIDE). Both cohorts were stratified into tertiles according to baseline cognition. Delirium was defined using DSM-IV (DELPHIC) and DSM-V (DECIDE). 4AT domain scores were operationalised from relevant delirium assessments within each study (MDAS, OSLA, months of the year backwards); item 4 was drawn from assessments of fluctuation. This process yielded an operationalised 4AT. Diagnostic accuracy of the operationalised 4AT was calculated using sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristics, with pooled estimates for each test domain. Results Among 396 unique participants and 2468 assessments across both studies, pooled 4AT sensitivity and specificity were 0.73 and 0.89, respectively. Overall 4AT performance was consistent across cognitive tertiles (sensitivity: high 0.82, middle 0.73, low 0.71; specificity: high 0.91; middle 0.92; low 0.86). Conclusions The operationalised 4AT showed good diagnostic performance in all three levels of baseline cognition. Sensitivity would likely have been higher had clinical information to inform 4AT item 4 been available. Overall, however, the findings support the value of bedside 4AT items in detecting delirium in hospitalised patients across the spectrum of baseline cognition.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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