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  • Title: Misdiagnosed delirium in patient referrals to a university-based hospital psychiatry department.
    Author: Swigart SE, Kishi Y, Thurber S, Kathol RG, Meller WH.
    Journal: Psychosomatics; 2008; 49(2):104-8. PubMed ID: 18354062.
    Abstract:
    The authors examined the factors associated with referral errors in which the presence of delirium was ostensibly not recognized by medical staff personnel. Medical records of 541 university-hospital patients consecutively referred for psychiatric consultation were scrutinized for extant delirium. The data indicated that a greater likelihood of a missed diagnosis was associated with younger age; referrals outside of family practice service; orientation as to person, place, and time; and a history of bipolar affective disorder or psychosis. The ramifications of failure to diagnose existing delirium include increased morbidity and mortality, longer length of hospital stay, and increased healthcare costs.
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