An occupational therapy delirium pathway reduces hospital re-presentations in older adults with delirium: A before and after observational study.
Kristie J Harper, Kelly McAuliffe, Melinda Williamson and 3 others
PMID 40336905WHAT IT FOUND
An occupational therapy pathway linking hospital care to home visits reduced hospital re-presentations in older adults with delirium.
It did not shorten hospital stays. Patients still had significant functional decline compared to their pre-admission baseline when they finished the service.
Key findings
01Fewer patients in the pathway group re-presented to hospital within one month of discharge compared to those who received usual inpatient care only.
02The pathway did not reduce the length of time patients spent in hospital.
03Patients finished the home visiting service with significantly lower function than their pre-admission baseline, indicating ongoing functional decline despite delirium resolution.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was non-randomised and observational, meaning we cannot be certain the pathway caused the reduction in re-presentations. Control group data was collected retrospectively, which introduces potential bias and missing information. The study was conducted in a single centre, so results may not apply to other hospitals. Only a small number of carers completed the preparedness surveys, limiting the reliability of those findings. The study did not measure adverse events such as falls, which are a significant risk for this population.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this pathway speeds up hospital discharge. The study found no significant difference in the length of stay between the two groups. The benefit was specifically in reducing patients returning to the hospital after they had gone home.