Frailty and delirium in hospitalized older adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis.
Clovis Cechinel, Maria Helena Lenardt, João Alberto Martins Rodrigues and 3 others
PMID 36287400WHAT IT FOUND
Frailty was found in 34% and delirium in 21% of hospitalized older adults.
Frailty was associated with higher delirium risk, so assess frailty to flag patients for delirium monitoring.
Key findings
01Pooled prevalence was 34% for frailty and 21% for delirium among hospitalized older adults.
02Frailty was associated with a higher risk of delirium, with a pooled relative risk of 1.66.
03The pooled association was uncertain because the studies were heterogeneous and many did not adjust for confounding.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The studies were observational, so they show an association between frailty and delirium but do not prove that frailty causes delirium or that treating frailty prevents it. The included studies used many different frailty and delirium instruments and had high heterogeneity, so the pooled estimates are not precise. Many studies did not adjust for confounding factors, which can distort the association. Delirium was assessed only once, daily, or every other day in some studies, and it can fluctuate during the day, so cases may have been missed. Frailty and delirium were treated as yes/no conditions, ignoring severity. Seven of the 26 studies did not find a relationship between frailty and delirium.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating frailty prevents delirium. The review pooled observational studies showing an association, not tested interventions, and some studies found no relationship.