A study of delirium in a tertiary care hospital in Ahmedabad City of Gujarat

Background: There are many risk factors for the development of delirium. According to the definition given by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, delirium is defined as “disturbances in attention and awareness over a short period of time, representations of changes from baseline attention, and awareness with a tendency to fluctuate over a period of time.” Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of risk factors among patients of delirium in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients of delirium in a tertiary care hospital of the city of Ahmedabad using the Confusional Assessment Method-Severity scale and sociodemographic questionnaire. A total of 100 patients were recruited in the study. The analysis was done using Microsoft Excel 2019. Results: In the study, we found that the majority of patients of delirium were of age >65 years, males, suffering from cerebrovascular illness, and having dementia. It was reported from the study that the majority patients of delirium were admitted to the intensive care unit and having a prolonged hospital stay. Conclusions: Identification of risk factors and early intervention can have better outcomes in patients suffering from delirium and lead to better prognosis.