Education for delirium prevention: Knowing, meaning and doing

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Hospital-acquired delirium is a common complication for older patients. Delirium prevention programs have been shown to reduce incident delirium and decrease length of stay; however, incorporating delirium prevention into nursing practice continues to be challenging. A three-element delirium prevention educational program was conducted with 42 nurses in a medical ward in a tertiary hospital in southeast Queensland. The education program focused on knowing, meaning and doing, consisting of a brief online course, case discussions with experts, and a high-fidelity simulation. A repeated cross-sectional design was utilised, with data collected over four time points before (T0), during the education program (T1, T2) and three months post completion of the study (T3). There were high levels of participation in the elements (48%–85%). Correct responses on the knowledge survey increased over time from 74.5% (T0) to 86.4% (T3; p = .003), suggesting a program focused on knowing, meaning and doing, was effective in improving nurses’ knowledge about delirium. The increase in knowledge post completion indicates that learning about delirium prevention continued without structured education. Further research into how knowledge might be shared between nurses as part of everyday work may reveal other practice-based learning techniques which support practice change.