Delirium screening in a stroke unit by nurses using 4AT: Results from a quality improvement project

AbstractAimTo assess the feasibility of delirium screening with the screening tool 4AT conducted by stroke unit nurses.DesignObservational.MethodsPatients with confirmed acute stroke admitted to the stroke unit at B ærum Hospital, Norway, from March to October 2020, were consecutively recruited. Nurses performed delirium screening using the rapid screening tool 4AT within 24 h of admission, at discharge and when delirium was suspected, and filled out a questionnaire assessing their experiences with the delir ium screening. A geriatrician validated the delirium diagnosis.ResultsIn all, 62 patients were included, mean age 73.3  years. 4AT was performed according to protocol in 49 (79.0%) and 39 (62.9%) patients at admission and discharge respectively. Lack of time (40%) was reported as the most common reason for not performing delirium screening. The nurses reported that the felt competent to carry out the 4AT screening , and did not experience it as significant extra workload. Five patients (8%) were diagnosed with delirium. Delirium screening performed by stroke unit nurses seemed feasible and the nurses experienced that 4AT was a useful tool for this purpose.

Source: Nursing Open - May 21, 2023 Category: Nursing Authors: H åkon Ihle‐Hansen, Nina Johnsen, Tatiana Jankowiak, Guri Hagberg, Marte M. Walle‐Hansen, Ida Landgraff, Gunnhild Høvik, Else Graven, Marius Myrstad Tags: BRIEF REPORT Source Type: research