Documentation of acute change in mental status in nursing homes highlights opportunity to augment infection surveillance criteria.
Austin R PennaChristina L SanckenNimalie D StoneTaniece R EureWendy BambergGrant BarneyDevra BarterStacy CarswellPaula ClogherGhinwa DumyatiChristina B FelsenLinda FrankDeborah GodineHelen JohnstonMarion A KainerLinda LiRuth LynfieldJ P MahoehneyJoelle NadleRebecca PierceSusan M RaySarah Shrum DavisMarla SieversLucy E WilsonAlexia Y ZhangShelley S MagillNicola D ThompsonPublished in: Infection control and hospital epidemiology (2020)
Acute change in mental status (ACMS), defined by the Confusion Assessment Method, is used to identify infections in nursing home residents. A medical record review revealed that none of 15,276 residents had an ACMS documented. Using the revised McGeer criteria with a possible ACMS definition, we identified 296 residents and 21 additional infections. The use of a possible ACMS definition should be considered for retrospective nursing home infection surveillance.