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Identifying delirium in older adults presenting to a primary care out-of-hours (OOH) service: a retrospective cohort study
Anna Elizabeth Seeley, Rachel Brettell, Ariel Wang, Rebecca K Barnes, Sarah Tamsin Pendlebury, Gail Hayward. Age and Ageing, 2026-04-22
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Of 4288 consultations with patients ≥65 years in the study periods, 402 (9.4%) involved possible or probable delirium. A further 74 (1.7%) had end-of-life delirium and were excluded from further analysis. Patients with delirium were older (mean age 84.4 years vs. 80.1 years), and more often had dementia (46.6% vs. 10.4%, P < .001). 67.9% of delirious patients required home visits, compared to 22.2% without delirium (P < .001). Patients with delirium were admitted to hospital twice as often as those without (20.6% vs. 8.5%, P < .001). Delirium is a common OOH presentation, representing ~10% of consultations with patients ≥65 years. These patients often have cognitive impairment, require home visits and are more likely to be admitted to hospital. These findings are important for planning urgent care services tailored to the needs of older people.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Seeley, A. E., Brettell, R., Wang, A., Barnes, R. K., Pendlebury, S. T., & Hayward, G. (2026). Identifying delirium in older adults presenting to a primary care out-of-hours (OOH) service: a retrospective cohort study. Age and Ageing. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag126
Vancouver
Seeley AE, Brettell R, Wang A, Barnes RK, Pendlebury ST, Hayward G. Identifying delirium in older adults presenting to a primary care out-of-hours (OOH) service: a retrospective cohort study. Age and Ageing. 2026. doi:10.1093/ageing/afag126. PMID: 42117740.
BibTeX
@article{seeley2026-42117740,
author = {Seeley, Anna Elizabeth and Brettell, Rachel and Wang, Ariel and Barnes, Rebecca K and Pendlebury, Sarah Tamsin and Hayward, Gail},
title = {{Identifying delirium in older adults presenting to a primary care out-of-hours (OOH) service: a retrospective cohort study}},
journal = {Age and Ageing},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1093/ageing/afag126},
pmid = {42117740},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag126}
}
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.
Key findings
- Of 4288 consultations with patients ≥65 years in the study periods, 402 (9.4%) involved possible or probable delirium.
- A further 74 (1.7%) had end-of-life delirium and were excluded from further analysis.
- Patients with delirium were older (mean age 84.4 years vs. 80.1 years), and more often had dementia (46.6% vs. 10.4%, P < .001). 67.9% of delirious patients required home visits, compared to 22.2% without delirium (P < .001).
- Patients with delirium were admitted to hospital twice as often as those without (20.6% vs. 8.5%, P < .001).
- Delirium is a common OOH presentation, representing ~10% of consultations with patients ≥65 years.
Why it matters
This study found that about 10% of out-of-hours primary care consultations with patients aged 65 and over involved possible or probable delirium, and these patients were more often admitted to hospital. It describes how delirium presents in urgent care and does not test any treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Effect size9.4%; 1.7%; 46.6%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 40/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Age and Ageing) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Age and Ageing: journal h-index 231 (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 | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization 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 | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Gail Hayward: h-index 46 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Oxford: institution h-index 2,205 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 42117740) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 40 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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