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To study the influence of baseline cognition on delirium risk in hospitalized patients, researchers prospectively followed 1510 older adults (median age, 77; white ethnicity, 94%) in a European city registered with a general practitioner. During a 2-year period, 13.9% of participants were hospitalized, 94% for nonelective reasons. Baseline cognition was assessed using the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status, covering orientation, attention, naming, praxis, calculations, and recall, and supplemented with verbal fluency tasks for executive function. Delirium severity was assessed by the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS), a 10-item 3-point scale (possible range, 0–30).
Delirium was present on admission in 35% of patients a…