Another quick and simple method of screening patients for delirium is the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) . The CAM consists of the four core diagnostic criteria for delirium that correlate with the DSM-IV criteria. A diagnosis of delirium can be made if three of the following criteria on the CAM are met:
-there is evidence of acute onset or fluctuating course in the patient’s connition,
-there is a change in the patient’s attention span,
-the patient’s thoughts are disorganized, or
-there is an altered level of consciousness.
This assessment should be completed preoperatively and again postoperatively. The CAM is easy to use, takes less than five minutes to complete, and appears to have better sensitivity and specificity than other cognitive screening instruments for assessing delirium. The Mini-Cog test,GDS,and CAM are available online at http://consultgerirn.org/resources(accessed March 28, 2012)