Foreman M D, Gillies D A, Wagner D
Crit Care Nurs Q. 1989 Jun;12(1):61-73. doi: 10.1097/00002727-198906000-00008.
Cognitive impairment is a significant health problem for the critically ill aged and warrants further investigation. Despite the lack of knowledge of all aspects of cognitive impairment, much can be undertaken to improve the care of impaired patients. Nurses must routinely, systematically, and comprehensively assess the cognitive state of each elderly patient at the time of admission and daily throughout hospitalization. On the basis of these assessments, nurses must accurately differentiate among confusion, depression, and dementia in the cognitively impaired patient. To carry out such assessments, modification of existing tools, such as the MMSE, may be necessary. Only through such assessment, however, is it possible to detect, prevent, or treat changes in cognition, and thereby prevent its sequelae.
认知障碍对于老年重症患者来说是一个重大的健康问题，值得进一步研究。尽管对认知障碍的各个方面缺乏了解，但仍可以采取许多措施来改善对受损患者的护理。护士必须在入院时以及住院期间每天对每位老年患者的认知状态进行常规、系统和全面的评估。基于这些评估，护士必须准确区分认知受损患者的意识模糊、抑郁和痴呆。为了进行此类评估，可能需要对现有工具（如简易精神状态检查表）进行修改。然而，只有通过此类评估，才有可能发现、预防或治疗认知变化，从而预防其后遗症。
