Early detection and management of delirium through routine nurse screening on older adult hospitalized patients

Abstract

<p>Nurses play a crucial role in implementing care designed to reduce delirium&rsquo;s duration and severity. Unmanaged delirium in the older adult patient population can result in prolonged hospitalization, profound decline in health status, and possible short or long-term institutionalization. A nurse-driven delirium management protocol was piloted on an orthopedic surgical unit over a period of four weeks. The goal was to detect delirium early in the postoperative period for early management and thus, the patient would be free of delirium symptoms at discharge.</p> <p>All patients age 65 years old and over were assessed for delirium every shift and a delirium nursing care plan was implemented on those identified as positive for delirium. A total of 81 patients were assessed for delirium with nine percent (9%, <em>n</em>=8) testing positive at some point during their hospitalization. Delirium nursing care plans were implemented on all these patients and none of these patients exhibited delirium symptoms at discharge. The nurses&rsquo; ability to recognize delirium using a standardized assessment tool can lead to early management and reduce delirium&rsquo;s severity and duration.</p>