Abstract
Abstract
Introduction: Delirium is a common, severe neuropsychiatric syndrome in hospitalised older adults. We evaluated use
of validated delirium assessment tools, adherence to national guidelines and prevalence and management of delirium
across Scotland, identifying barriers to effective care.
Methods: Secondary analysis of national survey data, collected by participating clinicians on World Delirium Awareness
Day (15 March 2023).
Results: Among 120 responses (3,257 patients), the 4AT was the most frequently used assessment tool (75%), while 14% of units reported using clinical judgement alone. The delirium assessment rate was 74%, with a prevalence of 22% at 8 am. Management protocols varied, with frequent routine non-pharmacological interventions including pain management (88%), hydration (87%) and open family visiting (80%). Barriers to delirium care included insufficient staffing and training.
Conclusion: While many hospital settings follow national delirium guidelines, some still rely on clinical judgement for assessment, with variability in management protocols and practices. We have highlighted key barriers to effective delirium care in Scotland.
Introduction: Delirium is a common, severe neuropsychiatric syndrome in hospitalised older adults. We evaluated use
of validated delirium assessment tools, adherence to national guidelines and prevalence and management of delirium
across Scotland, identifying barriers to effective care.
Methods: Secondary analysis of national survey data, collected by participating clinicians on World Delirium Awareness
Day (15 March 2023).
Results: Among 120 responses (3,257 patients), the 4AT was the most frequently used assessment tool (75%), while 14% of units reported using clinical judgement alone. The delirium assessment rate was 74%, with a prevalence of 22% at 8 am. Management protocols varied, with frequent routine non-pharmacological interventions including pain management (88%), hydration (87%) and open family visiting (80%). Barriers to delirium care included insufficient staffing and training.
Conclusion: While many hospital settings follow national delirium guidelines, some still rely on clinical judgement for assessment, with variability in management protocols and practices. We have highlighted key barriers to effective delirium care in Scotland.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh |
| Early online date | 29 Nov 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 29 Nov 2024 |
Bibliographical note
We would like to thank the whole WDAD Study team, responsible for data collection on WDAD 2023 in Scotland. They are named in Supplemental Appendix 1.Data Availability Statement
For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a CC-BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission.Keywords
- delirium
- hospitals
- prevalence
- geriatrics
- Scotland/epidemiology