Delirium Screening Tools Research Articles

Evaluation of an Educational Intervention Utilizing Nurse "Champions" and Nurses' Documentation of Intensive Care Unit Delirium.

Delirium is a common, underdetected problem that has short- and long-term negative sequelae for critically ill patients. Prompt and accurate delirium identification by nurses can ensure early intervention and treatment to help minimize adverse outcomes. To evaluate the relationship between an educational program and the accuracy of registered nurses' (RNs') documentation of the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU), a delirium screening tool. In a medical ICU at a tertiary academic medical center from September 2015 to March 2016, RNs were reinstructed on use of the CAM-ICU. Registered nurse assessment data were collected retrospectively for 12 months before and after intervention and were compared against the CAM-ICU algorithm using χ analysis. A total of 10 736 RN assessments in 1020 patients preintervention and 11 068 in 951 patients postintervention were evaluated. Overall RN accuracy improved from 78% to 80% (P = .054). The algorithm determined delirium to be present in 32% versus 30% of all patients preintervention and postintervention, respectively; there was no difference in rate of nurse detection of delirium preintervention and postintervention (54% vs 55%, not statistically significant). The percentage of "inappropriate unable to assess" ratings by nurses decreased from 42% to 37% postintervention (P < .05). After a comprehensive training initiative, there was no significant improvement in CAM-ICU documentation and no improvements in patient delirium identification. Future quality improvement efforts should target reducing the number of assessments that RNs judge to be "unable to assess." Clinical practice must evolve to routinely incorporate RN delirium assessments into the patient's plan of care.

Delirium and Developmental Disability: Improving Specificity of a Pediatric Delirium Screen.

Children with developmental disabilities are at high risk for developing delirium when critically ill. However, existing pediatric delirium screening tools were designed for children with typical development. The objective of this study was to improve the specificity of the Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium, to allow for accurate detection of delirium in developmentally delayed children admitted to the PICU. We hypothesized that the Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium, when combined with fluctuation in level of awareness as measured by the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale, would be valid and reliable for the diagnosis of delirium in developmentally delayed children. Prospective observational double-blind cohort study. Tertiary care academic PICU. Children with moderate to severe developmental delay. Each child was evaluated by the bedside nurse with the Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium once every 12 hours and the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale every 4 hours. Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium (score ≥ 9) + Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale fluctuation (change in Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score of at least 2 points during a 24-hr period) was compared with the criterion standard psychiatric evaluation for diagnosis of delirium. Forty children participated; 94 independent paired assessments were completed. The psychiatrists' diagnostic evaluations were compared with the detection of delirium by the Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium and Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale. Specificity of the Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium + Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale fluctuation was 97% (CI, 90-100%), positive predictive value of Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium + Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale fluctuation was 89% (CI, 65-99%); and negative predictive value remained acceptable at 87% (95% CI, 77-94%). In addition, to confirm interrater reliability of the criterion standard, 11 assessments were performed by two or more psychiatrists in a blinded fashion. There was perfect agreement (κ = 1), indicating reliability in psychiatric diagnosis of delirium in developmentally delayed children. When used in conjunction with Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score fluctuation, the Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium is a sensitive and specific tool for the detection of delirium in children with developmental delay. This allows for reliable delirium screening in this hard-to-assess population.

Early Identification of Delirium in Intensive Care Unit Patients: Improving the Quality of Care.

Delirium has long-term consequences for intensive care unit patients. The project site, an urban academic hospital, did not previously use a validated delirium screening tool, and patients commonly received sedative medications to treat agitation. To minimize the risk of delirium by implementing the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) as the standard-of-care delirium assessment tool in the intensive care unit and by decreasing use of high-risk medications (ie, opioids and benzodiazepines). An observational pretest-posttest design was used to analyze deidentified patient data from electronic health records. The evidence-based practice intervention focused on educating nurses on high-risk medications and CAM-ICU implementation. Control charts, χ2 tests, and mixed regression models were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing delirium risk by decreasing use of high-risk medications. High-risk medication use significantly decreased after intervention among patients at low risk for delirium (before intervention, 7.37%; after intervention, 3.92%; P < .001) and at high risk for delirium (before intervention, 4.73%; after intervention, 2.99%; P < .001). Hospital stays were significantly shorter in patients at low risk than at high risk for delirium (P < .001) but increased by a mean of 0.13 days with each additional high-risk medication used (P < .001). The variation of high-risk medication use was significantly controlled with the implementation of CAM-ICU and education. Nurses felt that hands-on training with the CAM-ICU increased their comfort in identifying patients at risk for delirium. Future work will focus on assessment accuracy.

A quality improvement project for delirium prevention and management over the Greater Manchester Critical Care Network.

Delirium is a common complication of critical illness with a significant impact on patient morbidity and mortality. The Greater Manchester Critical Care Network established the Delirium Reduction Working Group in 2015. This article describes a region-wide delirium improvement project launched by that group. Multiple Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles were undertaken. Cycle 1: April 2015 demonstrated only 48% of patients had a formal delirium screen. Following this a network-wide event took place and the Delirium Standards for the Greater Manchester Critical Care Network were produced. Cycle 2: May 2016 quarterly audits across the network monitored compliance against the agreed standards. Group events involved implementation of a delirium care bundle, sharing best practice, educating staff and providing guidance on the management of delirium. Cycle 3: November 2016 quarterly audit continued and a regional delirium study day was rolled out across the region. We have 14 different units across our network, all of which have participated in the audit. The first audit showed a delirium point prevalence of 28%, subsequent point prevalence audits demonstrated rates as low as 13%. There has also been an improvement in the use of delirium screening tools. In the first audit 37% of patients had two delirium screens in 24 h, this has increased to 60% in the latest audit. Improvements were also made in availability of sensory aids and pain assessments. The project has demonstrated the feasibility of delivering a coordinated delirium improvement project across multiple critical care units.

Delirium Screening in Neurocritical Care and Stroke Unit Patients: A Pilot Study on the Influence of Neurological Deficits on CAM-ICU and ICDSC Outcome

Background/ObjectiveDelirium is a common complication in critically ill patients with a negative impact on hospital length of stay, morbidity, and mortality. Little is known on how neurological deficits affect the outcome of commonly used delirium screening tools such as the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) and the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) in neurocritical care patients.MethodsOver a period of 1 month, all patients admitted to a neurocritical care and stroke unit at a single academic center were prospectively screened for delirium using both CAM-ICU and ICDSC. Tool-based delirium screening was compared with delirium evaluation by the treating clinical team. Additionally, ICD-10 delirium criteria were assessed.ResultsOne hundred twenty-three patients with a total of 644 daily screenings were included. Twenty-three patients (18.7%) were diagnosed with delirium according to the clinical evaluation. Delirium incidence amounted to 23.6% (CAM-ICU) and 26.8% (ICDSC). Sensitivity and specificity of both screening tools were 66.9% and 93.3% for CAM-ICU and 69.9% and 93.9% for ICDSC, respectively. Patients identified with delirium by either CAM-ICU or ICDSC presented a higher proportion of neurological deficits such as impaired consciousness, expressive aphasia, impaired language comprehension, and hemineglect. Subsequently, generalized estimating equations identified a significant association between impaired consciousness (as indexed by Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale) and a positive delirium assessment with both CAM-ICU and ICDSC, while impaired language comprehension and hemineglect were only associated with a positive CAM-ICU result.ConclusionsA positive delirium screening with both CAM-ICU and ICDSC in neurocritical care and stroke unit patients was found to be significantly associated with the presence of neurological deficits. These findings underline the need for a more specific delirium screening tool in neurocritical care patients.

Delirium point prevalence studies in inpatient settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

To examine the delirium point prevalence studies conducted in different inpatient settings and to discuss the implication of the findings for delirium screening, assessment, prevention and management. Delirium-a common and distressing condition manifesting as an acute decline of attention and cognition-is frequently overlooked, misdiagnosed or treated inappropriately. This neuropsychiatric syndrome manifests as changes in attention, cognition and awareness, with resultant impact on behaviour, function and emotions. Delirium is recognised as a patient management challenge in the inpatient setting, and there is a need to understand the current point prevalence and assessment practices of delirium. A systematic review and meta-analysis. A systematic review of published delirium prevalence studies in inpatient settings was conducted and the implications of findings for delirium screening, assessment, prevention and management identified. The random-effects meta-analysis was conducted among studies measuring delirium point prevalence. The PRISMA statement was used to report systematic review and meta-analysis. Nine studies were included in the review, with sample sizes ranging from 47-1867. Delirium point prevalence ranged from 9%-32%. Hypoactive delirium was the most common subtype, ranging from 23%-78%. Fifteen delirium screening tools or assessment or diagnostic methods were used. Comorbid dementia was present in up to 50% of inpatients. Gaining a consensus on effective delirium instruments, the time windows for assessment and measurement will be crucial in driving benchmarking and quality improvement studies. Consistent identification of high-risk patients and treatment settings with elevated risk, accompanied by the implementation of effective preventive and management strategies, are critical to addressing delirium-a frequent and burdensome condition, that adversely affects patient outcomes.

Antipsychotic Use in the Prevention and Treatment of Intensive Care Unit Delirium in Pediatric Patients.

To describe the antipsychotics, route of administration, dosage regimen, and outcomes reported to prevent or treat delirium in hospitalized children. Medline, Embase, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts were searched using the keywords "haloperidol," "olanzapine," "quetiapine," "risperidone," "ziprasidone," and "delirium." Articles evaluating the use of these agents to manage delirium in hospitalized children that were published between 1946 and August 2019 were included. Two authors independently screened each article for inclusion. Reports were excluded if they were published abstracts or included fewer than 3 patients in the report. Thirteen reports that included 370 children receiving haloperidol, quetiapine, olanzapine, and/or risperidone for delirium treatment were reviewed. Most children received haloperidol (n = 131) or olanzapine (n = 125). Significant variability in dosing was noted. A total of 23 patients (6.2%) had an adverse drug event, including 13 (56.5%) who experienced dystonia and 3 (13.0%) with a prolonged corrected QT interval. Most reports described improvement in delirium symptoms; however, only 5 reports used a validated screening tool for PICU delirium to evaluate antipsychotic response. Most reports noted efficacy with antipsychotics, but these reports were limited by sample size and lacked a validated PICU delirium tool. Future research is needed to determine the optimal agent and dosage regimen to treat PICU delirium.

Multimodal Education Program to Improve Nurses' Knowledge and Confidence on Delirium Recognition in a Surgical-Trauma Intermediate-Care Setting.

High incidence of delirium in hospitalized patients has been reported in the United States and is significantly associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The lack of knowledge and confidence in performing delirium assessment (KCDA) has led to significant underrecognition of delirium by nurses regardless of evidence-based education intervention. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a multimodal educational program (MEP) to enhance nurses' KCDA. A MEP including an online didactic with a video-simulation and 1:1 bedside coaching with delirium screening (DS) was conducted in the surgical intermediate-care unit of an academic medical center. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was used. Of 23 nurses, the majority were <41 years old (73.9%) and had at least a bachelor of science in nursing degree (78.3%) with <6 years of experience (60.9%). The overall KCDA scores and the performance of DS improved significantly after the MEP (p < .001). A positive correlation was noted between the changes of the KCDA scores (p = .009). The MEP demonstrated improvement in nurses' KCDA. The MEP should focus on an individualized learning approach with a targeted patient population, using current delirium screening tools. Educational programs are recommended in either an orientation or continuing education program on nursing units. This is also recommended for use in other academic centers that encompass similar clinical settings and could possibly be considered for use in other disease processes.

A Study of the Psychometric Properties of the “Stanford Proxy Test for Delirium” (S-PTD): A New Screening Tool for the Detection of Delirium

Delirium is a prevalent neuropsychiatric disorder associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Half the cases remain misdiagnosed. Assess the effectiveness of the Stanford Proxy Test for Delirium (S-PTD) in detecting delirium in an inpatient setting. This is a comparison study. Daily assessment with S-PTD, by the patient's nurse, and a neuropsychiatric assessment by a psychiatrist. Assessments were blinded. Inclusion criteria included 18 years or older. Exclusion criteria included patient's or surrogate's unwillingness to participate, inability to consent if a surrogate was not available, and inability to communicate in English or Spanish. A total of 309 patients were approached: 27 declined participation, 4 were excluded, and 278 subjects were followed up throughout their hospital stay. In the end, 78 were excluded for lack of neuropsychiatric assessment, S-PTD, or both. One was excluded for lack of demographic data. The sensitivity and specificity of the S-PTD in detecting delirium when compared with a neuropsychiatric assessment. Participants were on average 60.8 years old and 54.3% were male. Patients who developed delirium were, on average, older (15.12 y, confidence interval: 8.94-21.32). A total of 199 patients were analyzed; 43 patients (21.6%) met criteria for delirium. S-PTD detected 67 days with delirium (16.5%) of 405 hospital days, while neuropsychiatric evaluation identified 83 (20.5%). S-PTD had a sensitivity of 80.72% and a specificity of 90.37%. S-PTD is an effective, comprehensive, and simple screening tool for delirium, which is robust despite fluctuating symptoms and lack of cooperation. The use of S-PTD may enhance early diagnosis of delirium.

CAM-ICU may not be the optimal screening tool for early delirium screening in older emergency department patients: a prospective cohort study.

Delirium is a frequent problem among older patients in the emergency department (ED) and early detection is important to prevent its associated adverse outcomes. Several screening tools for delirium have been proposed for the ED, such as the 6-Item Cognitive Impairment Test (6-CIT) and the Confusion Assessment Method-ICU (CAM-ICU). Previous validation of the CAM-ICU for use in the ED showed varying results, possibly because it was administered at different or unknown time points. The aim was to study the prevalence of delirium in older ( ≥ 70 years) ED patients using the CAM-ICU and 6-CIT. A prospective cohort study was carried out in one tertiary care and one secondary care hospital in the Netherlands. Patients aged 70 years and older attending the ED were included. Delirium screening was performed within 1 h after ED registration using the CAM-ICU. The 6-CIT was determined for comparison using a cut-off point of at least 14 points indicating possible delirium. A total of 997 patients were included in the study, with a median age of 78 years (interquartile range 74-84). Delirium as assessed with CAM-ICU was positive in only 13 (1.3%, 95% confidence interval: 0.8-2.2) patients. Ninety-five (9.5% 95% confidence interval: 7.9-11.5) patients had 6-CIT more than or equal to 14. We found a delirium prevalence of 1.3% using the CAM-ICU, which was much lower than the expected prevalence of around 10% as being frequently reported in the literature and what we found when using the 6-CIT. On the basis of these results, caution is warranted to use the CAM-ICU for early screening in the ED.

Detecting delirium in patients with acute stroke: a systematic review of test accuracy

BackgroundPatients with acute stroke are particularly vulnerable to delirium episodes. Although delirium detection is important, no evidence-based recommendations have been established to date on how these patients should be routinely screened for delirium or which tool should be used for this purpose in this population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify delirium screening tools for patients with acute stroke and to summarise their accuracy.MethodsFollowing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a systematic search of Medline, CINAHL and Scopus databases was performed to include: (a) diagnostic test accuracy studies; (b) evaluating tools detecting delirium among patients with acute stroke; (c) written in English; (d) published up to September 2018. The included studies were assessed in their quality by using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2.ResultsA total of four studies have been performed to date in the field with a variable quality for the methodology used and documentation of the accuracy of mainly two tools, as (1) the 4-Assessment Test for delirium (4AT), reporting a range of sensitivity from 90.2 to 100% and a specificity from 64.5 to 86%; and (2) the Confusion Assessment Method-Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) showing a sensitivity of 76% (95% Confidence of Interval [CI] 55–91) and a specificity of 98% (95%CI 93–100). Other tools have been studied as: The Abbreviated Mental Test-10, the Abbreviated Mental Test short form, the Clock Drawing Test, the Cognitive Examination derived from the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the Glasgow Coma Scale. Moreover, the use of a single question—namely, ‘Does this patient have cognitive issues?’ as answered by the multidisciplinary team—has been subjected to a validation process.ConclusionsTo date a few primary studies have been published to test the accuracy of tools in their ability to detect post-stroke delirium; among those available, the 4AT and the CAM-ICU tools have been mostly studied. Research has just started to add evidence to the challenge of detecting and usefully assessing newly-acquired delirium among stroke patients: therefore, more studies are needed to improve the knowledge and allow a robust selection of the most useful tool to use in this population.

Delirium Screening in Aphasic Patients With the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC): A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Ten to thirty percent of stroke patients suffer from post-stroke delirium. This leads to a longer hospital stay and increased mortality. Therefore, early detection and treatment are needed. All established delirium screening tools require some degree of language function. We sought to investigate whether the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) is suitable for delirium screening in patients with post-stroke aphasia.Methods: A prospective cohort study was carried out in adult patients consecutively admitted to the Stroke Unit of University Hospital Tuebingen, between July 2017 and December 2018. The index test, ICDSC, was compared with the DSM-V diagnostic criteria as reference standard. Measures of diagnostic precision and the degree of agreement were obtained.Results: Three hundred and forty six patients were included in the analysis. Aphasia was present in 231 (66.8%) and absent in 115 (33.2%) patients. Delirium was present in 83 out of 231 (36%) patients with aphasia and 32 out of 115 (27.8%) patients without aphasia (p = 0.132). For patients without aphasia, sensitivity and specificity at the established cut-off value of ≥ 4 points were 100% and 78%, respectively. For patients with aphasia, the test demonstrated inferior performance, with a sensitivity and specificity of 98% and 55%, respectively. It was necessary to increase the cut-off value to ≥ 5 points. Through this, sensitivity was 90% (95% CI, 81.9–95.8%) and specificity was 75% (95% CI, 67.2–81.8%). The degree of agreement to the DSM-V criteria was “substantial” (Cohen's κ = 0.61).Conclusion: For the purpose of delirium screening in patients with aphasia, increasing the ICDSC cut-off value to ≥ 5 points enables effective screening. Further studies are necessary to characterize post-stroke delirium.

Impact of a delirium prevention project among older hospitalized patients who underwent orthopedic surgery: a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundPostoperative delirium (POD) is a common clinical syndrome with significant negative outcomes. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a delirium screening tool and multidisciplinary delirium prevention project.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single teaching center in Korea. A cohort of patients who underwent a delirium prevention program using a simple delirium screening tool from December 2018 to February 2019 (intervention group, N = 275) was compared with the cohort from the year before implementation of the delirium prevention program (December 2017 to February 2018) (control group, N = 274). Patients aged ≥65 years who were admitted to orthopedic wards and underwent surgery were included. The incidence rates of delirium before and after implementation of the delirium prevention program, effectiveness of the delirium screening tool, change in the knowledge score of nurses, and length of hospital stay were assessed.ResultsThe sensitivity and specificity of the screening tool for the incidence of POD were 94.1 and 72.7%, respectively. The incidence rates of POD were 10.2% (control group) and 6.2% (intervention group). The odds ratio for the risk reduction effect of the project related to the incidence of POD was 0.316 (95% confidence interval: 0.125–0.800, p = 0.015) after adjustment for possible confounders. The delirium knowledge test score increased from 40.52 to 43.24 out of 49 total points (p < 0.001). The median length of hospital stay in the intervention and control groups was 6.0 (interquartile range, 4–9) and 7.0 (interquartile range, 4–10) days, respectively (p = 0.062).ConclusionThe screening tool successfully identified patients at a high risk of POD at admission. The POD prevention project was feasible to implement, effective in preventing delirium, and improved knowledge regarding delirium among the medical staff.Trial registrationNone.

10.1 PEDIATRIC DELIRIUM IN INFANTS 0-6 MONTHS OF AGE: VALIDATION OF THE PRESCHOOL CONFUSION ASSESSMENT METHOD FOR THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

The PreSchool Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (psCAM-ICU) has been validated for ages 6 months to 5 years. We present a multidisciplinary validation study of the psCAM-ICU delirium screening tool for infants less than 6 months of age compared with delirium assessment using the Vanderbilt Assessment of Delirium in Infants and Children (VADIC). Screening tools enable pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) to monitor for delirium, serving as a “vital sign” to signal physiologic changes. Studies have identified delirium prevalence of 44 percent, with 53 percent in children less than 2 years of age. Prospective validation of a delirium screening tool is needed in infants <6 months of age.

Shifting the focus: A QI project to improve the management of delirium in patients with hip fracture

Delirium is common in the perioperative setting, particularly in those admitted with a neck of femur fracture. It is associated with poorer outcomes, including increasing mortality, morbidity and prolonged hospital stay. It is often poorly recognised and under diagnosed. An urban district general hospital. A steering group was set up and used 'plan, do, study, act' methodology to develop a diagnostic pathway and educational programme for all staff working with patients admitted with neck of femur fracture. There was an increase in the multidisciplinary teams use of the 4AT delirium screening tool by 26% (p=0.0008). Staff surveys indicated an increase in the knowledge of delirium and confidence at explaining it to patients. By increasing staff confidence and use of recognised screening tools it is hoped that accurate diagnosis of this perioperative complication is improved, leading to improved management of these complex patients.

Arabic intensive care delirium screening checklist's validity and reliability: A multicenter study

PurposeTo develop an Arabic version of Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) and assess its validity and reliability among critically ill patients. Materials and methodsMulticentered study of convenience sample of adult ICU patients. Arabic translation was performed with rigorous back-to-back translation methods. Concurrent validity was established by calculating the sensitivity and specificity of two examiner assessments compared to a psychiatric evaluation. Kappa coefficients describe interrater reliability, whereas Cronbach α and composite reliability depict internal consistency. ResultsThree hundred critically ill patients were enrolled. Of these, validity testing was assessed in 180 patients. ICDSC screening was positive for delirium in 11% of enrolled patients. The area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve is 0.9413, with predicted sensitivity 70% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 60–81%) and specificity 99% (95% CI: 98–100%). The Arabic ICDSC showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.63 and composite reliability = 0.64). Interrater agreement was excellent (Kappa coefficient [ҡ] = 0.85). ConclusionsArabic ICDSC is a valid and reliable delirium-screening tool among Arabic-speaking ICU population. Future studies could address whether these findings are generalizable to a higher proportion of mechanically ventilated patients, and address acceptability and reliability in other Arabic language critical care settings.

Characteristics of Hospitalized Patients Screening Positive for Delirium.

Delirium in the hospitals leads to worse outcomes for patients. There were no previous studies that characterize patients with delirium from multiple hospital locations. To describe patient characteristics screening positive for delirium and identify any correlations with hospital location and medication use. Retrospective chart review of 227 hospitalized patients from a large, academic, tertiary referral, 2-campus health system. Patients were ≥18 years old and had delirium for at least ≥24 hours. Validated delirium screening tools were utilized. Patients' demographics, inpatient stay information, delirium episodes characteristics, drugs, and palliative and psychiatry teams' involvement. Most patients were older with a mean age of 64.1 years. The most common primary diagnoses were infection, cardiac, and pulmonary. Average length of delirium was 7.2 days (standard deviation [SD] = 8.2), and average length of stay (LOS) was 18.7 days (median = 10.5, SD = 35.1, 95% confidence interval = 14.1-23). Thirty-day readmission rate was 24.8% (65/262 hospitalizations); 12.8% of patients died in the hospital (29/227). Around one-third of hospitalizations had involvement of palliative care, palliative psychiatry, or general psychiatry team. There was a decrease in the number of medications administered 24 hours after the first recording of delirium compared to the immediate preceding 48 hours. Those hospitalizations where delirium first occurred in the intensive care unit (ICU) did have a longer LOS (average = 22.9, SD = 45.7) than those where delirium first occurred outside the ICU (average = 14.8, SD = 20.5). Patients were likely to have received an opioid within 48 hours in 51% of hospitalizations and to have received benzodiazepines in 16% of hospitalizations. In our study, we found that delirium significantly impacted length of delirium episode, number of episodes of delirium, length of hospital admission, and mortality. The population most sensitive to the impacts of delirium were elderly patients.

Validation of the O3DY French Version (O3DY-F) for the Screening of Cognitive Impairment in Community Seniors in the Emergency Department.

It is recommended that older patients undergo systematic mental status screening when presenting to the emergency department (ED). However, the tools available are not necessarily adapted to the ED environment, therefore, quicker and easier tools are needed. The purpose of this study is to validate the Ottawa 3DY-French (O3DY-F) Scale as a screening tool for delirium and cognitive impairment in a French-speaking cohort. This multicenter prospective study was conducted in four hospitals across the province of Quebec. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥ 65years, ED stay ≥ 8h, awaiting admission to a care unit, and independent or semi-independent in their daily living activities. Cognitive status was assessed during the initial interview using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Screening-modified (TICS-m) and the O3DY-F scale. Comparisons were made between the O3DY-F and the TICS-m and Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the O3DY-F for the detection of cognitive impairment and delirium. A total of 313 patients were included in this study, 139 of which had a positive O3DY-F. When compared with the CAM, the O3DY-F had a sensitivity of 84.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 60.4-96.6) and a specificity of 58.2% (95% CI 52.3-63.9) for the detection of prevalent delirium. The O3DY-F had a sensitivity of 76.2% (95% CI 66.7-84.8) and a specificity of 67.6% (95% CI 61.0-73.6) for cognitive impairment (defined as a TICS-m<27). The O3DY-F is a useful and effective tool to screen for delirium and undetected cognitiveimpairment among a French-speaking cohort in the ED.

Determining Interrater Reliability of the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium Screening Tool Among PICU Nurses.

To determine the interrater reliability of the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium Screening Tool amount PICU nurses. The design was setup as a cross-sectional study and conducted over the course of a year. This study setting was a PICU and a pediatric cardiac ICU at Seattle Children's Hospital, a tertiary freestanding university-affiliated hospital in Seattle, Washington. A total sample of 108 patients were included in this study. Patients were selected using a convenience sample. Inclusion in this study involved all patients eligible for a Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium assessment, reflecting practice standards. Exclusion criteria included patients who had a Richmond Agitation and Sedation Score of (-4) or (-5), based on the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium procedure. There were 113 patients screened, but five were excluded from the final sample size due to missing information. The research nurse would screen the patient using the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium during the 12:00 noon hour, which coincided with the clinical nurse Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium assessment. The clinical and research nurse were kept blind to each other's assessment. Scores were then analyzed to determine the kappa coefficient. The kappa coefficient between nurses was found to be 0.60 (95% CI, 0.44-0.76), indicating moderate agreement. Age was found to have a higher association with agreement. In children 2 years old or greater, the kappa coefficient was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.68-1.00). Children whose raters did not agree on scoring were more likely to be younger than those who had raters that agreed (p < 0.01). Evaluating the interrater reliability of clinical tool, such as the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium, may be important to more accurately identify patients at high risk of delirium in a PICU or pediatric cardiac ICU. The evaluation of the tool's performance in practice may also be helpful to ensure ongoing consistency among the clinical nurses that complete these assessments on a daily basis.

Nursing Understanding and Perceptions of Delirium: Assessing Current Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs in a Burn ICU.

The number of delirium days in hospitalized patients directly correlates with mortality and long-term cognitive dysfunction. Burn patients are at greater risk for delirium due to prolonged mechanical ventilation, high sedative and analgesic medication requirements, and the common need for multiple operations. Limited research exists on nurses' understanding and comfort using delirium screening tools and preventive interventions. A process improvement project was developed in a single, regional burn intensive care unit (BICU) with the goal of increasing RN staff awareness of delirium, delirium assessment, and preventive interventions. A 10-question survey was developed and administered to the BICU RN staff before and after the educational intervention. Both quantitative and qualitative data analyses were performed. Twenty-seven (38%) anonymous surveys were returned. In pre- and postintervention surveys, respondents agreed that nursing interventions were important in preventing delirium. Despite educational intervention, 26% of the respondents reported that a tool is not needed to identify delirium. Survey analysis indicated strong support for nonpharmacologic nursing interventions in preventing delirium as well as reducing pharmacologic interventions, especially benzodiazepines. Mechanical ventilation was perceived as a barrier to performing the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) in both pre- and postsurveys. Staff compliance with documenting CAM-ICU assessments increased and CAM-positive days decreased over the project timeline. Overall, BICU nurses' awareness and general knowledge about delirium increased and specific knowledge deficits were discovered. Continued education about the CAM-ICU tool is still needed; additionally addressing barriers within the structure of the unit to provide nurses more resources to properly assess and prevent delirium.