Delirium Assessment And Documentation As Part Of An Acute Medical Admission

Abstract

Background Delirium is a prevalent issue affecting older patients in acute hospitals. National guidelines mandate that all patients >65 years old admitted to an acute hospital setting are screened for delirium. Prompt assessment and management of delirium is vital in delivering optimal care to the older patient. In our institution, delirium can be under recognised and not assessed routinely as part of the medical admission. Our aim was to assess delirium documentation rates and utilising the 4AT as part of the acute medical admission in a service development project. Methods A retrospective assessment of patient demographics and documentation of delirium and 4AT in the medical admission was carried out for January, February and March 2023 and compared to the same 3-month period in 2024 post set up of a new specialist geriatric ward (SGW) as part of a service development project. This was in tandem to targeted interventions for improving delirium education and management. Results Mean age was 83 years in both groups. 11% (18/157) in the cohort pre SGW and 30% (40/134) post setup of the SGW had a diagnosis of dementia. 13% (20/157) in the pre SGW cohort had delirium documented in the admission note and 23% (31/134) post. 24% (32/134) had a 4AT documented in the admission note post SGW setup compared with 6% (10/157) previously. Conclusion There was suboptimal documentation of the 4AT and delirium in the acute medical admission note. An acute medical admission proforma is being developed and implemented in our institution which will include a 4AT delirium screening tool. We will reassess this in 6 months’ time to ascertain whether there is an improvement in delirium and 4AT documentation. We will also give education to the medical NCHD group carrying out the admissions to emphasise the importance of utilising the 4AT and delirium documentation.