Prevalence, risk factors and impact of delirium in adult inpatients in a tertiary care hospital: A point prevalence study.
Cornel Schiess, Lisa Hofer, Stefanie von Felten and 3 others
PMID 38480928WHAT IT FOUND
On one day, 27 of 390 adult inpatients had delirium.
ICU and intermediate care were highest at 28.0%. Only 19 of 27 identified cases were coded. Older age, many medications and diagnoses were common in delirium.
Key findings
01The point prevalence of delirium was 6.9% (27/390) overall, 28.6% in ICU, 28.0% in IMC, 4.6% on wards and 4% in the ED.
02Only 70.4% (19/27) of identified delirium cases had an ICD-10 delirium diagnosis in the discharge summary.
03Patients with delirium were older and had more ICD-10 F-diagnoses and medications; they also had higher mortality, longer length of stay and higher costs.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured one day only, so it cannot capture daily or seasonal changes in delirium. It was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that delirium caused mortality, falls, pressure ulcers, restraints, longer stay or costs. Only 27 patients had delirium, and the study was single-site, limiting statistical analysis and generalisability. Some patients were excluded because they did not speak German, refused consent, or could not consent, and 17 assessments were incomplete or missing, which may underestimate delirium. An experienced clinician did not validate delirium diagnoses for all 407 patients.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the higher mortality, falls, pressure ulcers, restraints, length of stay and costs as evidence that delirium caused them. The study was a single-day cross-sectional survey with only descriptive differences, so causality and chance cannot be ruled out.