Alasdair MacLullich
I am Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and work in acute geriatric medicine and acute orthogeriatrics (care of older people with fractures) at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
I work on recognising delirium, assessing it well and helping clinicians and families know what to do next. Delirium is a sudden change in a person's thinking, memory or alertness. It affects about 1 in 4 older people in hospital.
Current roles
- Professor of Geriatric Medicine, University of EdinburghUniversity profile
- Responsible for updates to the 4AT delirium assessment tool, which I designed in 2011 with Tracy Ryan and Helen Cash. NICE and SIGN recommend it.the4AT.com
- Editor-in-Chief, Delirium, the journal of the European Delirium Association, the American Delirium Society and the Australasian Delirium AssociationEditorial board
- Chair, Scottish Hip Fracture AuditPublic Health Scotland
Founding roles and guidelines
- 2006Co-founded the European Delirium Association. President from 2012 to 2015.Association website
- 2016Co-founded World Delirium Awareness Day, an iDelirium initiative.deliriumday.com
- 2019Co-chaired SIGN 157, the Scottish guideline on delirium.SIGN 157
Follow
Websites and resources
Delirium SupportPatients, families and carers
Delirium AcademyHealth and care staff
Delirium ToolsClinicians and researchers
Delirium WordsProfessionals and general readers
The 4ATClinicians
Books
Writing for patients, families, carers and healthcare professionals.
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The 4AT Manual: A Practical Guide to Delirium Assessment
The manual explains how to administer, score and interpret the 4AT, with thirty worked clinical cases and guidance on implementation and audit. It is written for nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, students and educators.
- Free
- PDF and EPUB on the4AT.com, with no registration
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Delirium (Acute Confusion): A Family Guide to Sudden Changes in Thinking and Memory
Written for patients, families and carers, including advice for people living with dementia.
Research
My research addresses the recognition, assessment and consequences of delirium, and how clinical care can better support recovery in later life.
Contact
For research enquiries and invitations to speak, email a.maclullich@ed.ac.uk. For other enquiries, email a.maclullich@gmail.com. Journalists: please contact me through the University of Edinburgh press office, at press.office@ed.ac.uk. The media page also has biographies and a photograph.
This website does not give individual medical advice.