An interdisciplinary statement of scientific societies for the advancement of delirium care across Europe (EDA, EANS, EUGMS, COTEC, IPTOP/WCPT)

Abstract

Background Delirium is a geriatric syndrome that presents in 1 out of 5 hospitalized older patients. It is also common in the community, in hospices, and in nursing homes. Delirium prevalence varies according to clinical setting, with rates of under 5% in minor elective surgery but up to 80% in intensive care unit patients. Delirium has severe adverse consequences, but despite this and its high prevalence, it remains undetected in the majority of cases. Optimal delirium care requires an interdisciplinary, multi-dimensional diagnostic and therapeutic approach involving doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists. However, there are still important gaps in the knowledge and management of this syndrome. Main body The objective of this paper is to promote the interdisciplinary approach in the prevention and management of delirium as endorsed by a delirium society (European Delirium Association, EDA), a geriatrics society (European Geriatric Medicine Society, EuGMS), a nursing society (European Academy of Nursing Science, EANS), an occupational therapy society (Council of Occupational Therapists for European Countries, COTEC), and a physiotherapy society (International Association of Physical Therapists working with Older People of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, IPTOP/WCPT). Short conclusion In this paper we have strongly promoted and supported interdisciplinary collaboration underlying the necessity of increasing communication among scientific societies. We have also provided suggestions on how to fill the current gaps via improvements in undergraduate and postgraduate delirium education among European Countries.

The influence of a serious game’s narrative on students’ attitudes and learning experiences regarding delirium: an interview study

“…Interprofessional cooperation is often not addressed in current delirium education [1,18]. Our results suggest, that understanding another person's perspective can enhance co-operation between healthcare professionals.…”

“…In recent years, researchers have identified persistent gaps in delirium education for healthcare professionals, which has led to suboptimal delirium care [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Delirium is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by altered attention, awareness, and cognition.…”

“…In previous research, we showed that the serious game ‘The Delirium Experience’ is appropriate for teaching delirium care [ 28 ]. Still, little is known about which aspects enhance delirium care [ 1 , 3 , 4 ], and about which aspects of serious games contribute to players’ learning experiences and outcomes [ 29 – 31 ]. Promising aspects of serious games for instructional techniques to enhance learning and motivation are, for example, assessment, collaboration, feedback, level of realism, reflection and narrative [ 32 ].…”

Treatment of Delirium in Older Persons: What We Should Not Do!

“…Therefore, comprehensive efforts to educate scientific societies, clinicians, academic students, healthcare staff, and the public about delirium will be crucial in order to give this specific neuro-geriatric disease the dignity of a specific nosological entity in older persons with "reduced cognitive reserve" [60].…”

New Delirium Severity Indicators: Generation and Internal Validation in the Better Assessment of Illness (BASIL) Study

“…Delirium is a common, serious, and morbid condition for older adults. With in-hospital mortality rates of 25–33% and annual healthcare costs in excess of USD 182 billion (2011 USD) [2], delirium has garnered increasing attention as a worldwide public health and patient safety priority [3-5].…”