Characteristics of patients (a) with and without capacity as assessed by the two methods (AC v BC) and (b) entering the study by the two methods (ACC v BCC, three patients with relative assent excluded)
| AC | BC | AC v BC | ACC | BCC | ACC v BCC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Equal variances not assumed. | ||||||
| CAM, Confusion Assessment Method; DRS, Delirium Rating Scale; MMSE, Mini-Mental Status Examination; RCDS, Reversible Cognitive Dysfunction Scale. | ||||||
| No. of patients | 34 | 63 | 22 | 54 | ||
| Mean (SD) age, years | 81.6 (6.1) | 84.2 (6.8) | t = 1.85, df = 95; p = 0.068 | 80.6 (6.1) | 83.8 (6.6) | t = 1.96, df = 74; p = 0.053 |
| Men (%) | 44.1 | 42.9 | NS | 40.9 | 44.4 | NS |
| Case note diagnosis of delirium (%) | 27.0 | 23.5 | NS | 22.7 | 29.6 | NS |
| Mean (SD) length of stay, days | 20.6 (19.0) | 18.9 (16.1) | NS | 18.9 (15.5) | 20.4 (16.8) | NS |
| Died in hospital (%) | 8.8 | 9.5 | NS | 9.1 | 9.3 | NS |
| Survivors discharged to nursing home (%) | 18.8 | 22.2 | NS | 5 | 28.6 | χ2 = 4.64, df1 p = 0.03 |
| Declining to participate (%) | 35.3 | 14.3 | χ2 = 5.75; p = 0.017 | – | – | |
| Mean initial MMSE (possible 30–0) | – | – | – | 21.0 (6.2) | 16.7 (8.6) | t = −2.46, df = 53; p = 0.017* |
| Mean initial RCDS (possible 0–53) | – | – | – | 10.9 (8.5) | 17.3 (12.5) | t = 2.54, df = 72.5; p = 0.0142 |
| Mean initial DRS (possible 0–32) | – | – | – | 4.4 (3.4) | 7.8 (7.3) | t = 2.73, df = 72.5; p = 0.0082 |
| Mean final DRS | – | – | – | 3.6 (4.2) | 6.7 (7.3) | t = 2.25, df = 64.8; p = 0.0282 |
| Mean DRS over all assessments | – | – | – | 4.0 (3.2) | 7.3 (6.8) | t = 2.86, df = 72.1; p = 0.0062 |
| Initially CAM positive (%) | – | – | – | 13.6 | 33.3 | χ2 = 3.03; p = 0.08 |