Understanding our patients better will lead to better recognition of delirium: An opinion piece

Delirium is a temporary condition involving a disturbance in attention, cognition and awareness. Typically, it develops over a relatively short time frame and fluctuates in severity. Delirium is preventable in one‐third of cases, and early detection improves outcomes 1. Yet, this common and potentially devastating hospital complication is associated with non‐detection rates as high as 70% 1, 2. Why is this?