221 Delirium Detection in the ED Utilizing the 4AT Delirium Screening Tool

Background Delirium is a medical emergency and is associated with increased risk of mortality, in-hospital complications, length of stay and institutionalisation. Delirium screening is recommended for patients at risk on admission. Despite this, delirium screening is frequently not undertaken in the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Age and ageing 2019-09, Vol.48 (Supplement_3), p.iii1-iii16
Main Authors: Kelly, Louise, Whelan, Caitriona, Ryan, Maeve, Wade, Ruth, Boyle, Orla, Brady, Deirdre, Doherty, Orlaith, Kennelly, Sean, Mello, Sarah, Gray, James, Murphy, Maeve, McElwaine, Paul, Hayden, Derek
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Clinical assessment
Delirium
Emergency medical care
Emergency services
Frail
Hospitalization
Length of stay
Malnutrition
Medical screening
Patients
Undiagnosed
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background Delirium is a medical emergency and is associated with increased risk of mortality, in-hospital complications, length of stay and institutionalisation. Delirium screening is recommended for patients at risk on admission. Despite this, delirium screening is frequently not undertaken in the acute setting leading to undiagnosed delirium and sub-optimal clinical care. We aim to investigate the prevalence of delirium in patients aged ≥75 years attending the Emergency Department (ED) of a tertiary referral centre. Methods Patients aged ≥75yrs presenting to the ED between 08.30 and 18.30, Monday- Friday were assessed by an interdisplinary gerontological service using a standardised assessment tool including the 4AT to screen for delirium. Data was collected and analysed via Excel. Results Of 163 patients screened over a 4 week period 47.9% (78/163) were male with a mean age of 81.8 years (SD 2.7). Twenty three percent (34/148) scored ≥4 indicating a possible delirium. Patients with delirium were older (85 yrs vs. 80 yrs, P
ISSN:0002-0729
1468-2834
DOI:10.1093/ageing/afz102.49