Table 1.

Study design and setting

Author (Endnote reference number)	Study setting	Other publications same data set	Study aim	Study period	Patient characteristics, inclusion and exclusion criteria	Total number (of eligible)	Study design flow of participant recruitment/administration of tools
Oncology setting
Gaudreau et al. JPSM [31]	Haematology, oncology, internal medicine, tertiary hospital Quebec Canada	Gaudreau 2005 September JCO [43]	Determine delirium risk associated with medication exposure	January 21, 2002, to August 4, 2003	Included: admitted, adult, histologic diagnosis of cancer	n = 261 (all eligible)	Prospective. Consecutive patients, Nu-DESC incorporated in routine ward care. All patients from admission to discharge for the entire study
Grandahl et al. [40]	Oncology ward, metropolitan cancer centre Denmark	NA	Examine the value of cognitive testing in delirium detection	October 2011–February 2012	Included: admitted adults, histological diagnosis of cancer Excluded: non-Danish speaking. Each participant was included only once. Ward characteristics: patients with cancer who had "complications to their active treatment" or complications to their cancer	n = 81 Number of eligible patients not stated	Prospective. Nominated days. Ward staff identified possible cases, then MMSE, CAM, modified mini cog, digit span, and ICD 10. Not stated if consecutive patients or how many eligible patients were excluded from analysis
Ljubisavljevic et al. [3]	Oncology ward metropolitan cancer centre, Australia	NA	Define delirium risk factors	Over 2 periods (ten weeks in total)	Included: admitted, adult, histological diagnosis of cancer. Excluded: inability to undergo interviewing; language barrier; and refusal by the patient, family or physician, admission to a different ward	n = 124 (of 156 eligible)	Prospective. All patients during study period were assessed with DOSS on admission. CAM completed nightly for all patients by trained clinical nurses, patients with suspected delirium were reviewed within 24 h to confirm diagnoses of delirium based on DSM iv criteria
Neefjes et al. [41]	Medical oncology ward metropolitan cancer center, Netherlands	NA	Develop delirium prediction model	Jan 1st 2011–June 30th 2012	Included: admitted, adult, solid malignancy	n = 574 patients/1733 admissions (all eligible)	Retrospective, All patients. Chart review of DOSS scale outcomes, recorded, twice per week on nominated shifts according to standard hospital procedures. Staff familiar with use of tool
Sands et al. [42]	Medical and radiation oncology ward, comprehensive cancer centre, Australia	NA	Test feasibility of index tool	October 2004–August 2006*	Included: admitted, adults, solid malignancy. Patient or proxy consent. Excluded: unable to complete tests in English	n = 19 (of 33)	Prospective. All patients on nominated day approached. Consenting patients were assessed in order of SQiD, MMSE, CAM, MDAS, by one blinded investigator, psychiatrist interview by one of two blinded investigators
Older patients with cancer setting
Bellelli et al. [27]	108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards across participating Italian hospitals	NA	To determine the point prevalence of delirium in patients in index population in large multi-centre study	September 30, 2015 all admissions to the participating centers from 00:00 to 23:59	Included: admitted, aged 65 years and older, native Italian speakers, patient or proxy consent. Excluded: coma, aphasia, and end-of-life status. Site recruitment by personal email to the members of four scientific associations (5000 members) 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals	n = 323* (1867 of 2221 eligible in main study)	Prospective. All consenting patients in participating centers from 00:00 to 23:59 of the index day. Data reported here is for patients with cancer diagnosis
Bond et al. Oncology Nursing Forum [32]	General medical wards, 3 tertiary teaching hospitals United States	Bond, S. M. et al. 2008, Cancer Nursing [33]	Determine delirium incidence and risk factors in index population	Not reported in index study, paper with full methodology not found	Secondary analysis of data. Included: admitted, age 65 or older, cancer was main diagnosis or co-morbidity	n = 76 Number of eligible patients not stated. Parent study was of 627 hospitalized older adults This was a sub group with cancer	Retrospective. Further methodology not established as original paper not available
Hamaker et al. [44]	Medical or oncology ward. 2 metropolitan academic medical centres and one tertiary teaching hospital, Netherlands	NA	Determine delirium prevalence in index population	November 2002 to March 2006 and April 2006 to March 2008	Included: admitted, age 65 or older. Excluded: too ill, intensive care unit, coronary care unit, or transfer 48 h post admission, unable to speak or understand Dutch	n = 292 number eligible not stated	This was a secondary, sub-group analysis of patients with advanced cancer from prospective study. All consenting. Multidisciplinary comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) within 48 h of admission. (two medical specialists, a geriatric resident, a clinical nurse specialist, and two research nurses trained in geriatric medicine, who assessed for geriatric conditions including delirium)
Acute palliative care
de la Cruz, et al. [39]	12-bed acute palliative care inpatient unit in comprehensive cancer centre, USA. (Same centre as Shin 2014 and Mori 2011)	NA	Determine incidence and prevalence of delirium in index population	January 2011 to December 2011	Included: admitted patients	n = 609 consecutive patients > 556 total single admissions >	Retrospective. Search of medical records for demographics, ECOG performance status, MDAS score, Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) score [18], and discharge disposition
Lawlor et al., March, Arch Int Med [9]	14-bed tertiary level Palliative Care Unit in a university affiliated teaching hospital in Canada	Lawlor, P. G. et al. 2000, June, Cancer https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.160.6.786 [28]	Determine incidence, prevalence, severity and reversibility in index population	February to October 1997	Included: adult, admitted, histological diagnosis of cancer. Excluded unable to speak English fluently, or unable to speak due to tracheostomy	n = 104 (of 113 eligible)	Prospective. Consecutive admissions, verbal consent, MMSE on admission and twice weekly. If MMSE threshold reached, DSM diagnosis by palliative care physician. If delirious then MDAS to assess severity and progress
Mori et al. [47]	12 bed acute palliative care inpatient unit in comprehensive cancer centre, USA. (Same centre as Shin de la Cruz)		Determine the influence of delirium severity and survival	June 2006 to December 2007	Included: admitted, adult, advanced cancer. Admissions from emergency centre (EC) and outpatient clinic with ESAS data from within 24 h of APCU admission (baseline) and 3 to 5 days (follow-up) of APCU admission were included. Excluded: transfers from oncology ward excluded, missing symptom assessment score, early death or discharge	n = 166 (of 181 eligible)	Retrospective. Consecutive patients. In some patients, the ESAS was not completed because of the diagnosis of delirium. In such cases, other information was collected and included in analysis. Excluded patients who died before third day of APCU admission were excluded
Shin et al. [48]	Acute palliative care inpatient unit in comprehensive cancer centre, USA (same and Mori and de la Cruz)			September 1, 2003 and August 31, 2008	Index group: Emergency centre (EC) admissions Comparator group: inpatient (IP) transfers from oncology ward	n = 610 (of 612 eligible)	Retrospective. Institution's database identified 2568 MDAS scores data. Unclear how many unique patients represented by these scores. Data abstracted from electronic record for patients admitted from EC or oncology ward transfers

^*Unpublished data:,4AT 4 A’s Test, Nu-DESC Nursing delirium screening scale, MMSE mini-mental state exam, CAM Confusion Assessment Method, ICD 10 international classification of diseases 10th revision, DOS The Delirium Observation Screening scale, SQID Single Question in Delirium, MMSE Mini-mental state exam, MDAS Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale, CGA comprehensive geriatric assessment, ICD-10 international classification of diseases 10th revision, MMSE mini-mental state exam, ECOG Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, MDAS Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale, ESAS Edmonton Symptom Assessment Score, APCU Acute Palliative Care Unit