This post was contributed by Deborah D’Avolio, Ph.D., BC-ACNP, ANP, Associate Professor, Florida Atlantic University The following case study illustrates an example of how delirium can occur in a hospitalized older adult. Mrs. R is a 68-year-old, Italian speaking woman. She was admitted to the oncology unit for ongoing treatment of advanced uterine cancer. Mrs. R lives […]
Contributed by Heidi Lindroth, BSN, RN, PhD Candidate, School of Nursing, Program Assistant, School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Anesthesiology at The University of Wisconsin-Madison The American Delirium Society (ADS) annual conference was held in June 2018 to share the latest advancements in delirium science. A wide variety of topics from delirium training […]
Contributed by Olga Boukrina, PhD, Research Scientist, Stroke Rehabilitation Research at The Kessler Foundation Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers an objective and quantitative measurement of brain health. The progress in MR imaging has made it possible to not only accurately measure brain volume, but also to assess the integrity of white matter connections in the […]
Contributed by Madeline D’Aquila, BS, Clinical Research Associate II & Annie Racine, PhD, MPA, both of the Institute for Aging Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Although successful programs¹ to prevent delirium have been developed and implemented, advances in new prevention or treatment approaches have been stymied by a poor understanding of delirium pathophysiology. Neuroimaging […]
Contributed by Namrata Patil, MD MPH of Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Faculty at Harvard Medical School, Boston. “Doctor, is he still like that? If he is still the same I am not coming in….,” her voice cracks as she breaks into sobs on the other side of the phone. My patient’s wife does […]
A study led by Louise Rose, PhD, RN, FAAN, of the University of Toronto Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, is seeking people who have experienced delirium and their family members to take part in a study. The study is titled “Development of core outcome sets for effectiveness trials of interventions to prevent and/or treat delirium” (Del-COrS) […]
This post was contributed by Heidi Lindroth, PhD Candidate, RN, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Anesthesiology School of Nursing. “…My eyes were open, but what they saw was not real. My delirium was filled with paranoia, fright and joy. In the ICU, I just knew I heard my […]
This post was contributed by Heidi Lindroth, PhD Candidate, RN, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Anesthesiology School of Nursing. Let’s ring in the New Year 2018 with a review of research from 2017 focused on delirium prevention. Often, when I talk to others about the confusion and distress experienced by […]
Family visitation in the hospital can be a huge source of comfort to patients during their stay, particularly elderly patients. Loved ones can bring a sense of familiarity and relief from the stress and fear of being in the hospital. In fact, family visitation may provide more impact than just the comfort it brings patients. […]
Case example Sandra, a 75 year old single female, was found lying on the floor of her home by her long-time neighbor. She was not oriented to who she was, where she lived, or the year. She was brought to the emergency room and found to have a urinary tract infection, sepsis (a blood infection), […]