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Delirium in the Nursing Home Setting
Steven F Huege, Joel E Streim. Psychiatry in Long-Term Care, 2009-03-06
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Abstract Although extensively studied in the acute care setting, the syndrome of delirium— also referred to as acute confusion—has been a subject of relatively few studies in the long-term care (LTC) setting. Delirium represents a signi1cant source of morbidity and mortality for patients in nursing homes. Studies indicate that the incidence of acute confusion in residents of LTC facilities ranges from 14% to 40% (Culp et al., 1997; Mentes et al., 1999). Although cognitive impairment is common in the nursing home setting, in some instances it may be reversible. Sabin et al. (1982) found that 25% of LTC facility residents with impaired cognition had a potentially reversible condition, and 6% to 12% of nursing home residents with dementia showed improvement in cognitive performance over the course of 1 year (Katz, 1991). However, it is not known what proportion of the patients in these studies actually met criteria for a diagnosis of delirium.
Key findings
- Studies indicate that the incidence of acute confusion in residents of LTC facilities ranges from 14% to 40% (Culp et al., 1997; Mentes et al., 1999).
Why it matters
This review reports that the incidence of acute confusion in long-term care residents ranges from 14% to 40%, and that in some cases cognitive impairment may be reversible. It notes that it is not known what proportion of patients in the cited studies actually met criteria for a diagnosis of delirium.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 24/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record and institution's track record, so those were left out: it earned 22 of the 93 points we could judge it on, which is 24 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Psychiatry in Long-Term Care) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| 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 | 1 / 5 | 2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× 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 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Joel E. Streim: h-index 32 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 0 institution(s) in 0 countries — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 22 / 93 | Scored on 18 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 22 of the 93 points we could judge it on is 24 out of 100. |
| Total | 24 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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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
Huege, S. F., & Streim, J. E. (2009). Delirium in the Nursing Home Setting. Psychiatry in Long-Term Care. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195160949.003.0003
Vancouver
Huege SF, Streim JE. Delirium in the Nursing Home Setting. Psychiatry in Long-Term Care. 2009. doi:10.1093/oso/9780195160949.003.0003.
BibTeX
@article{huege2009-5ebc455a,
author = {Huege, Steven F and Streim, Joel E},
title = {{Delirium in the Nursing Home Setting}},
journal = {Psychiatry in Long-Term Care},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1093/oso/9780195160949.003.0003},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195160949.003.0003}
}
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