Performance of the French version of the 4AT for screening the elderly for delirium in the emergency department

Abstract

CLINICIAN’S CAPSULEWhat is known about the topic?Delirium is frequent in older inpatients but often goes undetected. A short tool, the 4 A’s Test (4AT), was created and validated for the detection of delirium.What did this study ask?This study compared the performance of the French version of the 4AT (4AT-F) with the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) for the screening of delirium.What did this study find?The 4AT-F was a fast and reliable screening tool for delirium in the emergency department (ED).Why does this study matter to clinicians?Because of its quick administration time, it allows for systematic screening of patients at risk of delirium and cognitive impairment.