Abstract: Objective To assess the reliability, validity and applicability of the Chinese Delirium Screen(CDScreen) scale for elderly inpatients in clinical settings. Methods The elderly patients admitted to the Geriatrics Center of West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January to December 2023 were enrolled in this study, and the clinical data were collected using a general information questionnaire and the CDScreen scale.The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(fifth edition)(DSM-Ⅴ) judgment of delirium status was defined as the gold standard for delirium. The assessment of the CDScreen scale was performed separately by two charge nurses to verify the inter-assessor reliability. The internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient; The diagnostic performance of the scale was verified by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value; And the applicability was assessed by questionnaire completion rate, missing rate and mean duration of the assessment. Results A total of 908 elderly patients were enrolled in the study with a mean age of 76.6±8.4 years. The questionnaire return rate was 100%. The mean time taken by the nurses to complete the CDScreen scale was 3.6±0.2 min. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for each dimension of the scale ranged from 0.666 to 0.854. The results of the retest reliability and inter-rater reliability assessments also showed good reliability performance.The CDScreen scale had high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnostic experiment, with a sensitivity of 94.83%, specificity of 100.00%. The positive predictive value was 100.00% and the negative predictive value was 99.20%. Conclusions The CDScreen scale has satisfactory reliability and validity in internal medicine wards in China, and its assessment is concise and actionable, so it can be used as a valid tool for assessing delirium in the elderly hospitalized patients.

Key words: delirium, screening scale, reliability, validity