Confusion
Identify an acute change in cognition or behaviour and look for its cause.
Clinical learning outcomes: Awaiting named clinical review.
What you should learn
- Describe onset, fluctuation and change from the person’s usual function.
- Recognise immediate safety needs and discuss causes of delirium.
Recognise and explain
- A quiet or withdrawn patient may also be unwell; do not assume confusion means dementia.
On your placement
Agree your role with the supervising clinician. Support the person’s participation and discuss consent and capacity for the particular activity.
- Listen to the patient and, where useful, relatives or carers to establish the baseline. Check consent and confidentiality before sharing patient information.
- Review observations, medicines and a supervised cognitive assessment.
- Discuss possible causes and practical measures to reduce distress.
Start here
MLA: cognitive assessment and delirium
Read the cognitive-assessment and delirium section; a screening score is not a diagnosis.
MLA: capacity and the particular decision
Support the particular decision and discuss the assessment with the responsible clinician.
Current guidance
NICE CG103: delirium
Focus on acute change, collateral history and supervised assessment; discuss the appropriate tool and possible causes.
GMC decision making and consent
Use the sections on sharing information, consent and capacity to discuss a patient encounter with your supervisor.
On your next shift
Explain how the patient’s baseline changed your interpretation of their presentation.
How this relates to GMC graduate outcomes and the MLA
These are St Emlyn’s learning connections, not a claim that this page covers every national requirement.
Presentations and conditions: Confusion.
Clinical and professional capabilities: Assessment and clinical reasoning; Recognising limits and seeking help.
St Emlyn’s interpretation of relevant GMC graduate outcomes and MLA themes; these are summary labels, not official topic codes or a complete curriculum.
Explore the student placement programme
Student practice and graduate expectations
About this resource and its review
A St Emlyn’s guide to learning Emergency Medicine during undergraduate placements. It is not an official medical-school or GMC curriculum. Your medical school’s curriculum and assessment requirements take precedence.
National foundations: GMC Outcomes for Graduates, the practical-skills supplement and the MLA content map applying from September 2026.
Framework checked: 8 October 2026. This is a source check, not clinical sign-off.
Clinical learning outcomes: awaiting named clinical review.
The four learning routes are St Emlyn’s groupings. The six interconnected MLA domains remain part of the official content map.