The utility of nursing instruments for daily screening for delirium: Delirium causes substantial functional impairment.

The utility of nursing instruments for daily screening for delirium: Delirium causes substantial functional impairment. Palliat Support Care. 2019 Nov 27;:1-8 Authors: Bode L, Isler F, Fuchs S, Marquetand J, Petry H, Ernst J, Schubert M, Garcia Nuñez D, von Känel R, Boettger S Abstract OBJECTIVE: Nursing assessments have been recommended for the daily screening for delirium; however, the utility of individual items have not yet been tested. In a first step in establishing the potential of the electronic Patient Assessment-Acute Care (ePA-AC) as such, the impact of delirium on the functional domains was assessed. METHOD: In this prospective observational cohort study, 277 patients were assessed and 118 patients were delirious. The impact of delirium on functional domains of the ePA-AC related to self-initiated activity, nutrition, and elimination was determined with simple logistic regressions. RESULTS: Patients with delirium were older, sicker, were more commonly sedated during the assessment, stayed longer in the intensive care unit (ICU) and floors, and less commonly discharged home. A general pattern was the loss of abilities and full functioning equivalent to global impairment. For self-initiated mobility, in and out of the bed sizable limitations were noted and substantial inability to transfer caused friction and shearing. Similarly, any exhaustion and fatigue were associated with delirium. For self-initiated ...
Source: Palliative and Supportive Care - Category: Palliative Care Authors: Tags: Palliat Support Care Source Type: research