RT Book, Section
A1 Nygaard, Haakon
A2 Salardini, Arash
A2 Biller, José
SR Print(0)
ID 1127045609
T1 Altered Mental Status
T2 The Hospital Neurology Book
YR 2016
FD 2016
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071845830
LK neurology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1127045609
RD 2024/04/20
AB Altered  Mental  Status  is  one  of  the  most  frequently  encountered  admitting  diagnosis  in  hospitals  across  the  world,  in  large  part  due  to  the  wide  range  of  conditions  affecting  cognitive  function.  For  the  same  reason,  the  descriptive  and  diagnostic  value  of  “Altered  Mental  Status”  in  isolation  is  of  little  value  to  the  hospital  clinician  as  almost  any  medical  condition  can  present  with  some  degree  of  mental  status  change.  In  this  chapter  we  will  outline  an  approach  to  neurologic  presentations  associated  with  a  change  in  mental  status,  and  highlight  the  appropriate  use  of  simple  and  well-established  terminology.  An  emphasis  will  be  further  placed  on  always  associating  a  diagnosis  of  “Altered  Mental  Status”  with  a  better  descriptive  terminology  to  facilitate  the  appropriate  therapeutic  approach  and  improve  patient  outcomes.