Dissecting Delirium: Phenotypes, Consequences, Screening, Diagnosis, Prevention, Treatment, and Program Implementation.

Delirium is an acute change in attention and awareness that preferentially occurs in older patients with acute illness. This review provides an overview for clinicians with descriptions of the presentations (phenotypes), consequences, diagnosis, and screening of delirium. In addition, this review provides guidance for the challenges posed by delirium in a health care system, including implementation of delirium programs, tools to address the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of delirium, and a review of preventive and treatment studies with a goal of improving clinical practice.