Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding diagnosis and management of delirium at the Cayetano Heredia Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: delirium is a prevalent syndrome in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to identify the knowledge, attitudes and practices about delirium among medical professionals in a tertiary referral hospital, as well as to evaluate the validity of the instrument created for this purpose.

Methods: A 3 phase cross sectional study was carried out: 1- content validation, 2- application of the instrument and 3- Construct validation.

Results: After satisfactory content validation, the instrument was applied to 148 participants. Regarding knowledge about delirium, there was an average of 57.8% correct answers (95% CI 52.5-63.1) with no significant difference between attending physicians, residents and final year medical students. 25% (n=37) reported using the Confusion Assessment Method, 31.1% (n=46) reported feeling confident in the use of antipsychotics in the management of delirium, and 86.5% (n=128) reported using at least one non-pharmacological measure.

Conclusions: Deficiencies in knowledge and management of delirium were evident in healthcare workers. The instrument had optimal content validation but unsatisfactory construct validation. Emphasizing the importance of doing a psychometric analysis with individuals prior to applying the instrument.