Delirium

The prevalence of delirium in the community is 1-2 per cent but this rises to 14 per cent in people over 85, and in nursing homes or post acute care settings, can be up to 60 per cent. This guide deals with risk factors, diagnosis and management of this condition.

This section of the BGS Delirium Hub examines some of the current research and evidence on delirium.

This section of the BGS Delirium Hub focuses on managing delirium in specific settings and clinical situations.

This section of the Delirium Hub contains resources which focus on staff training and how to educate patients and relatives.

A series of resources which provide an introductory overview of delirium.

This chapter of the Silver Book II covers the presentation of common geriatric conditions in an urgent care context.

Delirium research and clinical care has seen great strides in the last decade. This collection provides an overview of the range of research in delirium covering prevention and prediction, interventions and their health economic evaluations, outcomes following delirium, and clinical application in a review of the recent SIGN guidelines.

This guideline provides recommendations based on current evidence for best practice in the detection, assessment, treatment and follow up of adults with delirium.

Research is an essential part of the global and UK strategy and response to COVID-19. This is the British Geriatrics Society statement on research for older people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delirium is now recognised as a common symptom of coronavirus, and older people living in long-term care facilities are at higher risk, especially those with dementia.

This consensus advice has been drawn up by experts from the BGS, EDA and RCPsych. It should be used in conjunction with local policy and governance practice employed within your own organisation.

The Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) is used to detect delirium but its sensitivity is low when used in real-world settings. A study explored reasons for this through a series of focus groups with orthopaedic nurses at two academic hospitals in Hamilton, Canada.
 

Delirium is categorised by a sudden onset of fluctuating altered consciousness with changes to perception and cognitive function.

Clinical guidelines and tailored resources from NICE on supporting people with dementia, mental wellbeing of older people in care homes and a video illustrating the NICE quality standards for mental wellbeing in care homes.

People with dementia are not children. They are adults with a lifetime’s experience. Yet they are not entirely dissimilar. They are vulnerable and they can be as distressed and disoriented as a child. 

Ten per cent of patients admitted to hospital as an emergency stay more than two weeks, using 55 per cent of all hospital bed days, and 80 per cent of that group are aged over 65 years. The average age of a hospital inpatient is over 80. 

Feeling anxious from time to time is a normal human experience. When someone is anxious they might experience feelings of tension, nervousness, heightened awareness, fear or uncertainty, dry mouth and throat, and tightness in the chest. 

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards are protections for adults who lack mental capacity to consent to, say, admission to hospital or a care home for treatment or care. Caroline Cooke and Premila Fade assess why they are being reviewed and the Law Commission's proposals.

What is mental capacity?  What do we really mean when we ask if a patient has (or lacks) capacity?  Capacity often depends on context.  The ethical conundrum of mental capacity unravelled. 

Older patients frequently have dysphagia resulting from acute or chronic illnesses.  Dysphagia management requires a collaborative approach because of the complexities of older patients' needs, and geriatricians have an important role to play in overseeing this condition.