Turkish adaptation of NEECHAM Confusion Scale

Objectives: Delirium is common in hospitalized individuals and it is hard to recognize by nurses and doctors. There are many scales in the world to screen and diagnose delirium. NEECHAM Confusion Scale is a scale to screen and diagnose delirium in hospitalized patients. The aim of this study is to establish the Turkish adaptation of NEECHAM Confusion Scale, validity and reliability. Methods: The sample of this study was selected from patients who were hospitalized in Kocaeli University Research and Practice Hospital's Internal Medicine and Surgery Clinics. Patients who had head trauma, cerebrovascular disorders, intracranial surgery or intracranial mass were not included in the study. One hundred and two participants were enrolled in the study; all participants were 60 years old or older and conscious. Standardized Mini Mental Test as a reference test with NEECHAM Confusion Scale. Results: Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of the scale was calculated as 0.744 and after interrater reliability evaluation Fleiss kappa was calculated as 0.70. Reference test correlation with Standardized Mini Mental Test was found to be statistically significant. Discussion: Application of NEECHAM confusion scale for screening and diagnosing delirium in hospitalized patients and use in early recognition and prevention of delirium was satisfactory.