Preventing, identifying and managing delirium in nursing homes and acute settings
Intended for healthcare professionals
CPD    

Preventing, identifying and managing delirium in nursing homes and acute settings

Nicola Davies Senior Medical Writer, Health Psychology Consultancy Ltd, Stoke-on-Trent, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To enhance your knowledge of how to recognise and manage delirium in older people in nursing homes and acute settings

  • To identify strategies to prevent delirium and relapse in older people who are at risk

  • To count towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD, or you may wish to write a reflective account (UK readers)

  • To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)

Older people, particularly those in nursing homes, are vulnerable to delirium, which is a condition characterised by confusion. This article outlines the risk factors, prevention, identification and management of delirium in older people in nursing homes and acute settings. It uses a case study approach to encourage nurses to consider the challenges faced in these settings and how they could address delirium. The article also details the multicomponent interventions that can be used for prevention, as well as the available delirium assessment tools, with a focus on selecting tools based on the person’s health status and the healthcare setting.

Nursing Older People. doi: 10.7748/nop.2021.e1259

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@healthpsychuk

Correspondence

nicola.davies24@gmail.com

Conflict of interest

None declared

Davies N (2021) Preventing, identifying and managing delirium in nursing homes and acute settings. Nursing Older People. doi: 10.7748/nop.2021.e1259

Published online: 03 March 2021

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