Paper
Wednesday, 19 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Initiatives for Culturally Competent Care
Delirium in Hospitalized Older Adults: A Global Perspective
Beth Ann Swan, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, Department of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson College of Health Professions, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Learning Objective #1: Describe the current evidence for practice related to delirium in hospitalized older adults in six countries.
Learning Objective #2: Discuss the implications for collaboration related to the evidence-based practice.
Hospital-acquired delirium occurs in 15% to 60% of hospitalized older adults and is costly, in terms of dollars and adverse outcomes, including increased morbidity and mortality, and increased length of stay.  Given the ample evidence that delirium in hospitalized older adults is under-diagnosed and not recognized by nurses, interventions are needed for early recognition and management of postoperative delirium.  The goal of early recognition is to minimize the impact of adverse events including falls, restraint use, pressure ulcers, and urinary tract infections.  Without the ability to recognize delirium early, interventions to enhance patient safety and minimize adverse events will have limited success.
As delirium has identifiable causes and is reversible, efforts should be made to recognize and manage delirium in postoperative older adults.  Despite availability of research focused on interventions to reduce risk factors and treat delirium, interventions for early recognition of delirium remain inadequate in hospitalized older adults.  Nurses occupy a strategic position for the assessment, early recognition, and management of delirium.
This oral presentation will describe the global evidence-base for early recognition and management of delirium in hospitalized older adults.  Countries include: Belgium, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United States.  Evidence related to nursing assessment, delirium identification, nursing interventions, and nursing outcomes will be discussed.  Areas for further research and collaboration will be identified.     

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See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)