Diagnostic Accuracy of Delirium Assessment Tools Among Critically Ill Infant : A Systematic Review

  • Dewi Astika Rahmadhani Universitas Indonesia
  • Risna Ningsih Universitas Indonesia
  • Atik Setiawati Universitas Indonesia
  • Siti Chodidjah Universitas Indonesia
  • Nur Agustini Universitas Indonesia
  • Mega Hasanul Huda Universitas Indonesia
Keywords: assessment tools, delirium, critically ill infant, diagnostic accuracy

Abstract

Delirium is an acute change in neurologic function that can potentially lead to longterm impacts on children’s cognitive development and the quality of life. Infants under 12 months are particularly vulnerable because their cognitive and language abilities are not fully developed. Therefore, healthcare professionals need to enhance their knowledge of delirium symptoms, child development stages, and how to identify it in this age group to better detection and management. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of delirium assessment tools, namely the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD), the Preschool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (psCAM-ICU), and the Sophia Observation Withdrawal Symptoms Pediatric Delirium (SOSPD), in detecting delirium in critically ill infants. This systematic review follows the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and includes a literature search in PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, and Taylor & Francis from 2013 to 2023. Inclusion criteria consist of observational studies involving infants aged 0-11 months in ICU settings that utilized CAPD, psCAM-ICU, or SOSPD for delirium detection. The quality of the studies was assessed using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Studies Reporting Diagnostic Test Accuracy. Result : The analysis indicates that the SOSPD tool has a sensitivity ranging from 76.9% to 96.8% and specificity between 92% and 96.4%. The CAPD shows sensitivity from 87% to 94.1% and specificity from 88% to 98%. The psCAM exhibits sensitivity from 75% to 95% and specificity from 81% to 91%. The results demonstrate variability in accuracy depending on the age group and clinical condition of the children. Based on the research findings, psCAM is recommended as the most effective tool for detecting delirium in the infant population due to its ease of use and high accuracy. Early detection of delirium is crucial for enhancing clinical management and improving outcomes in critically ill infants.

References

Alvarez, R. V., Palmer, C., Czaja, A. S., Peyton, C., Silver, G., Traube, C., Mourani, P. M., & Kaufman, J. (2018). Delirium is a Common and Early Finding in Patients in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. The Journal of Pediatrics, 195, 206–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.11.064

Balsalobre-Martínez, P., Montosa-García, R., Marín-Yago, A., Baeza-Mirete, M., Muñoz-Rubio, G. M., & Rojo-Rojo, A. (2023). Challenges of the implementation of a delirium rate scale in a pediatric intensive care Unit: A Qualitative approach. Healthcare, 12(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12010052

Canter, M. O., Tanguturi, Y. C., Wilson, J. E., Williams, S. R., Exum, S. A., Umrania, H. M., Betters, K. A., Raman, R., Ely, E. W., Pandharipande, P. P., Fuchs, D. C., & Smith, H. a. B. (2021). Prospective validation of the preschool Confusion assessment method for the ICU to screen for delirium in infants less than 6 months old. Critical Care Medicine, 49(10), e902–e909. https://doi.org/10.1097/ccm.0000000000005099

Silver, G., Traube, C., Kearney, J., Kelly, D., Yoon, M. J., Moyal, W. N., Gangopadhyay, M., Shao, H., & Ward, M. J. (2012). Detecting pediatric delirium: development of a rapid observational assessment tool. Intensive Care Medicine, 38(6), 1025–1031. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-012-2518-z

Dechnik, A., & Traube, C. (2020). Delirium in hospitalised children. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(4), 312–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2352-4642(19)30377-3

Dervan, L.A., Killien, E.Y., Smith, M.B., Watson, R.S., 2022. Health-related quality of life fol- lowing delirium in the PICU. Pediatr. Crit. Care Med. 23 (2), 118–128. https://doi.org/ 10.1097/PCC.0000000000002813.

Flaigle, M. C., Ascenzi, J., & Kudchadkar, S. R. (2016). Identifying barriers to delirium screening and prevention in the Pediatric ICU: Evaluation of PICU staff knowledge. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 31(1), 81–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2015.07.009

Holberg, M. Y., Larsen, M. H., Mariussen, K. L., & Kynø, N. M. (2021). Delirium in children under two years of age admitted to intensive care units – a systematic review. Sykepleien Forskning, 85808, e-85808. https://doi.org/10.4220/sykepleienf.2021.85808en

Hong, H., Guo, C., Liu, Z., Wang, B., Zhou, S., Mu, D., & Wang, D. (2021). The diagnostic threshold of Cornell assessment of pediatric delirium in detection of postoperative delirium in pediatric surgical patients. BMC Pediatrics, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-021-02538-x

Hoshino, H., Matsuishi, Y., Enomoto, Y., Shimojo, N., Kido, T., Matsuzaki, A., Matsubara, M., Kato, H., Hoshino, T., Traube, C., Silver, G., Kawano, S., & Inoue, Y. (2020). The validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, 21(5), e267–e273. https://doi.org/10.1097/pcc.0000000000002274

Ista, E., Beest, H. T., Van Rosmalen, J., De Hoog, M., Tibboel, D., Van Beusekom, B., & Van Dijk, M. (2017). Sophia Observation withdrawal Symptoms-Paediatric Delirium scale: A tool for early screening of delirium in the PICU. Australian Critical Care, 31(5), 266–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aucc.2017.07.006

Ista, E., Traube, C., de Neef, M., Schieveld, J., Knoester, H., Molag, M., et al., 2023. Factors Associated With Delirium in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Pediatr. Crit. Care Med. 24, 372–381. doi: 10.1097/PCC.0000000000003196

Paterson, R. S., Kenardy, J. A., Dow, B. L., De Young, A. C., Pearson, K., Aitken, L. M., & Long, D. A. (2020). Accuracy of delirium assessments in critically ill children: A prospective, observational study during routine care. Australian Critical Care, 34(3), 226–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aucc.2020.07.012

Salluh, J. I. F., Wang, H., Schneider, E. B., Nagaraja, N., Yenokyan, G., Damluji, A., Serafim, R. B., & Stevens, R. D. (2015). Outcome of delirium in critically ill patients: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ, 350(may19 3), h2538. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h2538

Semple, D., Howlett, M. M., Strawbridge, J. D., Breatnach, C. V., & Hayden, J. C. (2021). A systematic review and pooled prevalence of paediatric delirium in critically ill children. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 29(Supplement_1), i31–i32. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpp/riab015.038

Siegel, E. J., Groves, A. M., Silver, G., Hojsak, J., Lim, C. A., & Traube, C. (2021). Delirium in the NICU: a point prevalence study. Hospital Pediatrics, 11(11), e321–e326. https://doi.org/10.1542/hpeds.2020-005736

Schieveld, J.N.M., Janssen, N.J.J.F., 2014. Delirium in the pediatric patient: on the growing awareness of its clinical interdisciplinary importance. JAMA Pediatr. 168 (7), 595–596. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.125.

Silver, G., Kearney, J., Traube, C., Hertzig, M., 2015. Delirium screening anchored in child development: the Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium. Palliat. Support. Care 13 (4), 1005–1011. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951514000947.

Smith, H. a. B., Gangopadhyay, M., Goben, C. M., Jacobowski, N. L., Chestnut, M. H., Savage, S., Rutherford, M. T., Denton, D., Thompson, J. L., Chandrasekhar, R., Acton, M., Newman, J., Noori, H. P., Terrell, M. K., Williams, S. R., Griffith, K., Cooper, T. J., Ely, E. W., Fuchs, D. C., & Pandharipande, P. P. (2016). The preschool Confusion assessment method for the ICU. Critical Care Medicine, 44(3), 592–600. https://doi.org/10.1097/ccm.0000000000001428

Stenkjaer, R. L., Egerod, I., Moszkowicz, M., Greisen, G., Ista, E., Herling, S. F., & Weis, J. (2022). Clinical application of ‘Sophia Observation withdrawal Symptoms‐Paediatric Delirium’ screening tool in Danish version: A feasibility study. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 36(4), 1027–1036. https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.13073

Stenkjaer, R. L., Egerod, I., Moszkowicz, M., Ista, E., Greisen, G., Weis, J., Pagsberg, A. K., & Herling, S. F. (2023). Prospective validation of Sophia observation withdrawal symptoms: A paediatric delirium scale in critically ill children in Denmark. Australian Critical Care, 37(3), 400–406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aucc.2023.04.001

Thom, R. P. (2017). Pediatric delirium. American Journal of Psychiatry Residents Journal, 12(2), 6–8. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2017.120203

Traube, C., Silver, G., Kearney, J., Patel, A., Atkinson, T. M., Yoon, M. J., Halpert, S., Augenstein, J., Sickles, L. E., Li, C., & Greenwald, B. (2013). Cornell assessment of pediatric delirium. Critical Care Medicine, 42(3), 656–663. https://doi.org/10.1097/ccm.0b013e3182a66b76

Traube, C., Silver, G., Reeder, R. W., Doyle, H., Hegel, E., Wolfe, H. A., Schneller, C., Chung, M. G., Dervan, L. A., DiGennaro, J. L., Buttram, S. D. W., Kudchadkar, S. R., Madden, K., Hartman, M. E., deAlmeida, M. L., Walson, K., Ista, E., Baarslag, M. A., Salonia, R., Bell, M. J. (2017). Delirium in Critically Ill Children: An International Point Prevalence Study*. Critical Care Medicine, 45(4), 584–590. https://doi.org/10.1097/ccm.0000000000002250

Zhu, X., Feng, X., Lin, J., Ding, Y., 2022. Risk factors of delirium in paediatric intensive care units: a meta-analysis. PLoS One 17 (7), e270639. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0270639.

Published
2025-06-01
How to Cite
Rahmadhani, D. A., Ningsih, R., Setiawati, A., Chodidjah, S., Agustini, N., & Huda, M. H. (2025). Diagnostic Accuracy of Delirium Assessment Tools Among Critically Ill Infant : A Systematic Review. Indonesian Journal of Global Health Research, 7(3), 851-860. https://doi.org/10.37287/ijghr.v7i3.6214