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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Sarah Richardson
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Background: Delirium affects 25% of older inpatients and is associated with long-term cognitive impairment andfuture dementia. However, no population studies have systematically ascertained cognitive function before, cognitivedeficits during, and cognitive impairment after delirium. Therefore, there is a need to address the following question:does delirium, and its features (including severity, duration, and presumed aetiologies), predict long-term cognitiveimpairment, independent of cognitive impairment at baseline?Methods: The Delirium and Population Health Informatics Cohort (DELPHIC) study is an observational populationbasedcohort study based in the London Borough of Camden. It is recruiting 2000 individuals aged ≥70 years andprospectively following them for two years, including daily ascertainment of all inpatient episodes for delirium. Dailyinpatient assessments include the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale, the Observational Scale for Level of Arousal,and the Hierarchical Assessment of Balance and Mobility. Data on delirium aetiology is also collected. The primaryoutcome is the change in the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status at two years.Discussion: DELPHIC is the first population sample to assess older persons before, during and after hospitalisation. Thecumulative incidence of delirium in the general population aged ≥70 will be described. DELPHIC offers the opportunityto quantify the impact of delirium on cognitive and functional outcomes. Overall, DELPHIC will provide a real-timepublic health observatory whereby information from primary, secondary, intermediate and social care can beintegrated to understand how acute illness is linked to health and social care outcomes.
Author(s): Davis D, Richardson SJ, Hornby J, Bowden H, Hoffmann K, Weston-Clarke M, Green F, Chaturvedi N, Hughes A, Kuh D, Sampson E, Mizoguchi R, Cheah KL, Romain M, Sinha A, Jenkin R, Brayne C, MacLullich A
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: BMC Geriatrics
Year: 2018
Volume: 18
Online publication date: 09/02/2018
Acceptance date: 05/02/2018
Date deposited: 15/02/2018
ISSN (electronic): 1471-2318
Publisher: BioMed Central
URL: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-018-0742-2
DOI: 10.1186/s12877-018-0742-2
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