The BGS today launches its Delirium Hub resource, linking users to useful, practical and high-quality information on all aspects of delirium in older people.
Frequently misdiagnosed or under-diagnosed, delirium is a state of acute confusion. Characteristic features include difficulty concentrating, disorientation, difficulty with understanding or memory and personality changes, which can be immensely upsetting to both patients and their loved ones.
The causes of delirium are multifactorial and can often be a sign of an underlying physical illness. Raising awareness of the risk factors, signs and management of delirium among the wider multidisciplinary healthcare team is vital to help ensure that older people can access the support and care they need, reducing unnecessary distress for those affected.
The hub guides users through the topic of delirium, focusing on four key interlinked areas; an introduction to delirium; presentation, screening and treatment of delirium in specific settings; education and training; and current research evidence.
The BGS Dementia and Related Disorders Special Interest Group (SIG) have led on the curation of the resource, which provides useful context and signposting to material from organisations such as BGS, Health Education England, Health Improvement Scotland, National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), as well as free-to-access papers from Age and Ageing and other globally-recognised peer-reviewed journals.
Building on the success of the BGS’s Frailty Hub, launched in 2020, it is hoped that the BGS Delirium Hub will become a similarly indispensable guide to navigating, understanding and managing delirium in older people. It is free to access for both BGS members and non-members.
Dr Emma Vardy, Chair of the BGS Dementia and Related Disorders Special Interest Group (SIG), said:
We are delighted to launch the BGS Delirium Hub, which has been developed by leading experts and trainees working at the forefront of research and practice in this field. Delirium is an underdiagnosed and distressing condition that affects older people. We hope that through signposting to important and relevant information via the Hub we will better enable members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team to identify and take action when someone is thought to be showing signs of delirium.”
