Detection of delirium by family members in the intensive care unit: Translation, Cross-Cultural adaptation and validation of the Family Confusion Assessment Method for the German-Speaking area

AIM: The aim of this study was the translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Family Confusion Assessment Method in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Delirium is a frequently unrecognized disorder in critically ill patients. Visiting family members might be the first to notice subtle changes in a patient's cognition and behaviour. The Family Confusion Assessment Method was developed to detect delirium by family members, but has not been available for the German-speaking area yet.

DESIGN: A prospective validation study was conducted between January 2020 and October 2020.

METHODS: The Family Confusion Assessment Method was translated into German according to the Principles of Good Practice for the Translation and Cultural Adaptation Process for Patient-Reported Outcomes. Subsequently, we compared the Family Confusion Assessment Method with the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit in critically ill patients and their family members in a medical intensive care unit in Germany.

RESULTS: We included 50 dyads of critically ill patients and their family members. The prevalence of delirium measured by Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit was 44%. Cohen's kappa coefficient was 0.84. The German Family Confusion Assessment Method had a high sensitivity of 95.5% and specificity of 89.3%. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 87.5% and 96.2% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the German Family Confusion Assessment Method is an accurate assessment tool for delirium detection in the intensive care unit by family members. Furthermore, the results indicate that family members may identify delirium by the Family Confusion Assessment Method without prior training.

IMPACT: Collaborating medical staff with patients' family members to detect delirium in the intensive care unit may lead to early recognition of delirium.