JAMDA
Volume 8, Issue 5 , Pages 273-275 , June 2007

Delirium is a Serious and Under-recognized Problem: Why Assessment of Mental Status Should be the Sixth Vital Sign

  • Joseph H. Flaherty, MD

      Affiliations

    • Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, St. Louis VA Medical Center, Division of Geriatrics, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to Joseph H. Flaherty, MD, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, 1402 S. Grand Boulevard, Room M238, St. Louis, MO 63104.
    • ,
  • James Rudolph, MD

      Affiliations

    • Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA Boston Health Care System, Division of Aging, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Department of Medicine, Harvard, Boston, MA
    • ,
  • Ken Shay, DDS, MS

      Affiliations

    • Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care, VA Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI
    • ,
  • Barbara Kamholz, MD

      Affiliations

    • VA Ann Arbor Health System, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
    • ,
  • Kenneth S. Boockvar, MD, MS

      Affiliations

    • Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, James J. Peter VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY
    • ,
  • Marianne Shaughnessy, PhD, CRNP

      Affiliations

    • Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
    • ,
  • Rita Shapiro, DO

      Affiliations

    • VA Chicago Health Care System, Chicago, IL
    • ,
  • Joan Stein, APRN, BC

      Affiliations

    • VA Ann Arbor Health Care System, Ann Arbor, MI
    • ,
  • Charlene Weir, PhD, RN

      Affiliations

    • Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Salt Lake City VA Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT
    • ,
  • Thomas Edes, MD

      Affiliations

    • Director, Home & Community Based Care, Office of Geriatrics & Extended Care, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC.
    • All authors are members of the VA Delirium Working Group

References 

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  2. Vital signs pl.n. In:  Soanes Catherine,  Stevenson Angus editor. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary. 11th edition revised. Oxford University Press; 2006;Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Available at: http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?entry/t23.e63517&srn\1&ssid/607453067 FIRSTHIT./ Accessed May 13, 2007
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  39. Flaherty JH, Tariq SH, Raghavan S, et al. A model for managing delirious older inpatients. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003;51:1031–1035
  40. Flaherty JH. Delirium. In:  Pathy MS,  Sinclair AJ,  Morley JE editor. Principles and Practice of Geriatric Medicine. 4th ed. London: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd; 2006;p. 1047–1060

PII: S1525-8610(07)00206-X

doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2007.03.006

JAMDA
Volume 8, Issue 5 , Pages 273-275 , June 2007

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