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Presenting complaints and emergency triage priority of older adults hospitalized with delirium: a retrospective cohort study
Justine Falciola, François Richard Herrmann, Gaelle Levrelle, Fanny Benard, Fabienne Maître, Véronique Trombert, Dina Zekry, Stéphane Grimaud et al.. BMC Geriatrics, 2026-02-23
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Among 2889 patients with delirium (mean age 85 years; 54.7% female), 59.8% were triaged at SETS 1–2 (high priority) and 40.2% at SETS 3–4 (low priority). Lower-priority triage was driven by nonspecific presentations such as general decline (18.9%) and falls (11.6%), while dyspnea (28.1%) and acute neurological deficits (11%) were strongly associated with higher priority. Independent predictors of SETS 3–4 included higher functional independence (FIM, OR 1.01 per point, p < 0.001), dementia (OR 1.39, p = 0.001), psychiatric comorbidity (OR 1.31, p = 0.007), and higher pain scores (VAS, OR 1.04 per point, p = 0.027). Conversely, acute respiratory failure (OR 0.25, p < 0.001), acute heart failure (OR 0.66, p < 0.001), pulmonary embolism (OR 0.51, p = 0.017), pneumonia (OR 0.82, p = 0.038), other hypoxia-related conditions (OR 0.63, p = 0.007), higher leukocyte count (OR 0.98, p = 0.026), and psychotropic exposure (OR 0.83, p = 0.030) were associated with decreased odds of lower-priority assignment. Standard emergency triage may underrecognize the clinical risk of delirium in older adults, particularly when presentations are nonspecific and cognitive or psychiatric comorbidities are present.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Falciola, J., Herrmann, F. R., Levrelle, G., Benard, F., Maître, F., Trombert, V., et al. (2026). Presenting complaints and emergency triage priority of older adults hospitalized with delirium: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Geriatrics. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-026-07218-y
Vancouver
Falciola J, Herrmann FR, Levrelle G, Benard F, Maître F, Trombert V, et al. Presenting complaints and emergency triage priority of older adults hospitalized with delirium: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Geriatrics. 2026. doi:10.1186/s12877-026-07218-y. PMID: 41731381.
BibTeX
@article{falciola2026-41731381,
author = {Falciola, Justine and Herrmann, François Richard and Levrelle, Gaelle and Benard, Fanny and Maître, Fabienne and Trombert, Véronique and Zekry, Dina and Grimaud, Stéphane and others},
title = {{Presenting complaints and emergency triage priority of older adults hospitalized with delirium: a retrospective cohort study}},
journal = {BMC Geriatrics},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1186/s12877-026-07218-y},
pmid = {41731381},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-026-07218-y}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Among 2889 patients with delirium (mean age 85 years; 54.7% female), 59.8% were triaged at SETS 1–2 (high priority) and 40.2% at SETS 3–4 (low priority).
- Lower-priority triage was driven by nonspecific presentations such as general decline (18.9%) and falls (11.6%), while dyspnea (28.1%) and acute neurological deficits (11%) were strongly associated with higher priority.
- Independent predictors of SETS 3–4 included higher functional independence (FIM, OR 1.01 per point, p < 0.001), dementia (OR 1.39, p = 0.001), psychiatric comorbidity (OR 1.31, p = 0.007), and higher pain scores (VAS, OR 1.04 per point, p = 0.027).
- Conversely, acute respiratory failure (OR 0.25, p < 0.001), acute heart failure (OR 0.66, p < 0.001), pulmonary embolism (OR 0.51, p = 0.017), pneumonia (OR 0.82, p = 0.038), other hypoxia-related conditions (OR 0.63, p = 0.007), higher leukocyte count (OR 0.98, p = 0.026), and psychotropic exposure (OR 0.83, p = 0.030) were associated with decreased odds of lower-priority assignment.
- Standard emergency triage may underrecognize the clinical risk of delirium in older adults, particularly when presentations are nonspecific and cognitive or psychiatric comorbidities are present.
Why it matters
Among 2,889 older patients with delirium, 40.2% were triaged as lower priority, and dementia was an independent predictor of lower-priority triage. The study suggests standard emergency triage may underrecognize delirium risk in older adults, but it does not test any treatment or cure.
Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants2,889
- Effect size54.7%; 59.8%; 40.2%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 53/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (BMC Geriatrics) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | BMC Geriatrics: journal h-index 153 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” 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 | 2,889 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) |
| 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 7.1× 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 | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Aline Mendes: h-index 13 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Geneva: institution h-index 1,049 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41731381) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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