Geriatricising the Intensive Care Unit: Syndrome Focused Education of Interdisciplinary Teams

Connolly, Gina M.

Saturday, 29 October 2011

Gina M. Connolly, RN, BSN
Intensive Care Unit, Wishard Hospital, Indianapolis, IN

Learning Objective 1: Ways to enhance knowledge of specialized care of the critically ill older adult.

Learning Objective 2: The critical need to educate all healthcare professionals about delirium & geriatric syndromes.

Older adults are at risk for developing delirium in the ICU, which can lead to increased mortality, cognitive decline, and functional immobility. However, screening and recognition of this syndrome is often overlooked in the ICU setting, based on environmental/situational factors and lack of awareness regarding prevention and treatments. Despite these obstacles, education regarding identification and management of delirium in the older adult should be a standard requirement of all ICU healthcare providers. A multidisciplinary team was created to address this issue at Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis, by constructing an electronic learning module to assess staff members’ knowledge of delirium and use of the Confusion Assessment-Method ICU (CAM-ICU) tool to screen for delirium.

ICU/ER nurses, physical/occupational/speech therapy, and quality management staff; completed the e-module and were assessed using a pre-post-test method. As a Fellow in the Geriatric Nursing Leadership Academy, my goal was to engage healthcare team members in not only learning about delirium, but to consider specific care and insults that occur to older adults during their ICU admission. Disseminating this information to local and national societies such as the Indianapolis Discovery Network for Dementia, American Delirium Society, and American Geriatric Society is imperative to improving hospital care for critically ill older adults. My overall goal to “Geriatricise” the ICU through delirium screening is a first step. Leading a multidisciplinary team to design this program has facilitated Wishard Hospital to be one of the first hospitals in the state to support change in specialized care for older adults.

See more of: Poster Session I - Geriatric Nursing Leadership Academy Invited Posters
See more of: Invited Posters