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47/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 47 out of 100. Clinical safety

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

In a sample of 2,599 Medicare beneficiaries (mean age 78.4 years, 52.9% female, 81.8% White), we identified a total of 5,677 hospitalization claims. A total of 286 (11.0%) participants experienced at least one delirium episode. In fully adjusted models, delirium was associated with $8,110 (95% confidence interval, CI: $1,860, $14,360) additional hospital charges and $1,631(95% CI: $527, $2,735) additional Medicare payments, compared to hospitalization without delirium. Delirium was more costly among participants with ADRD than those with no history of ADRD. Findings from this nationally representative dataset show that delirium during hospitalization is associated with higher health care costs. As delirium is considered a modifiable risk factor for dementia, another condition with significant associated healthcare costs, these expenses may be preventable. Additional research is needed to understand the economic impact of delirium prevention and intervention.

Key findings

In a sample of 2,599 Medicare beneficiaries (mean age 78.4 years, 52.9% female, 81.8% White), we identified a total of 5,677 hospitalization claims.
A total of 286 (11.0%) participants experienced at least one delirium episode.
In fully adjusted models, delirium was associated with $8,110 (95% confidence interval, CI: $1,860, $14,360) additional hospital charges and $1,631(95% CI: $527, $2,735) additional Medicare payments, compared to hospitalization without delirium.
Delirium was more costly among participants with ADRD than those with no history of ADRD.
Findings from this nationally representative dataset show that delirium during hospitalization is associated with higher health care costs.

Why it matters

This study found that delirium during hospitalization was associated with higher hospital charges and Medicare payments among older adults. Because delirium is considered a modifiable risk factor for dementia, the authors suggest these costs may be preventable, but they call for more research on the economic impact of delirium prevention.

Study details

Participants5,677
Effect size52.9%; 81.8%; 11.0%
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 47/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 45 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 47 out of 100.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in Public Health)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	Frontiers in Public Health: journal h-index 174 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	1 / 5	Rated “low” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	5 / 5	2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	3 / 4	5,677 participants
Effect reported	2 / 3	Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	1 / 7	Cited 1 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	0 / 5	0.5 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026
Impact for its field and year	3 / 6	Cited 5.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	0 / 6	No other study in this library cites it
Still being cited	0 / 4	Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	— / 4	OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Nicholas S. Reed holds only 3 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score
Institution's track record	2 / 3	Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41684398)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Points	45 / 96	Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 45 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 47 out of 100.
Total	47 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Morales, E. E. G., Umoh, M. E., Luu, K., Oh, E., & Reed, N. S. (2026). Additional hospitalization costs associated with delirium among older adults: evidence from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Frontiers in Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1750969

Vancouver

Morales EEG, Umoh ME, Luu K, Oh E, Reed NS. Additional hospitalization costs associated with delirium among older adults: evidence from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Frontiers in Public Health. 2026. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1750969. PMID: 41684398.

BibTeX

@article{morales2026-41684398,
  author  = {Morales, Emmanuel E. Garcia and Umoh, Mfon E. and Luu, Kayti and Oh, Esther and Reed, Nicholas S.},
  title   = {{Additional hospitalization costs associated with delirium among older adults: evidence from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey}},
  journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1750969},
  pmid    = {41684398},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1750969}
}

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