Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    Prevalence rate of delirium at two hospitals in Western Australia

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Speed, Gaye
    Wynaden, Dianne
    McGowan, Sunita
    Hare, Malcolm
    Landsborough, Ian
    Date
    2007
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Speed, Gaye and Wynaden, Dianne and McGowan, Sunita and Hare, Malcolm and Landsborough, Ian. 2007. Prevalence rate of delirium at two hospitals in Western Australia. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing 25 (1): pp. 38-43.
    Source Title
    Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing
    ISSN
    1447-4328
    Faculty
    School of Nursing and Midwifery
    Faculty of Health Sciences
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/28831
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Objective: To estimate the prevalence of delirium in patients on 15 medical and surgical wards at two hospitals in Western Australia. Design: Following a review of the literature on delirium a standardised data collection tool was developed and four prevalence audits were conducted over a four week period at the target hospitals. The nurse cordinator on each ward was asked to identify any patient who was experiencing a delirium or who was confused. These patient's records were then examined for documentation that confirmed the presence of delirium or confusion. Main outcome measures: The audit measured those patients with a confirmed documented delirium and identified patients who had a possible delirium superimposed on a confirmed or suspected dementia or unconfirmed organic brain disorder. Patients with a known dementia or organic brain disorder who displayed symptoms of confusion but had no evidence of delirium were also identified. Results: Of 1209 patients surveyed in four prevalence audits, 132 patients (10.9%) displayed behaviours suggestive of the presence of delirium; however only 48 of the 132 patients had a confirmed diagnosis of delirium. The remaining 84 patients displayed features of delirium that were superimposed on symptoms of dementia (diagnosed/undiagnosed) or an organic brain disorder. An additional 51 (4.2%) of the 1209 patients were identified with confusion resulting from other causes. Conclusions: Accurate assessment of delirium is particularly important in elderly people where behaviours associated with delirium are often assumed to be caused by dementia. This may result in delirium going undiagnosed and untreated.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Nurses descriptions of changes in cognitive function in the acute care setting
      Hare, Malcolm; McGowan, Sunita; Wynaden, Dianne; Speed, G.; Landsborough, Ian (2008)
      To describe nurses' documentation of cognition and behavioural changes in patients in acute care settings. Hospitalised patients often present with multiple co-morbidities including declining levels of cognitive functioning ...
    • Prophylactic Melatonin for Delirium in Intensive Care (Pro-MEDIC): Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
      Martinez, F.; Anstey, Matthew; Ford, A.; Roberts, B.; Hardie, M.; Palmer, R.; Choo, L.; Hillman, D.; Hensley, M.; Kelty, E.; Murray, K.; Singh, B.; Wibrow, B. (2017)
      Background: Delirium is an acute state of brain dysfunction characterised by fluctuating inattention and cognitive disturbances, usually due to illness. It occurs commonly in the intensive care unit (ICU), and it is ...
    • Piloting staff education in Australia to reduce falls in older hospital patients experiencing delirium
      Toye, Christine; Kitchen, S.; Hill, A.; Edwards, D.; Sin, M.; Maher, Sean (2016)
      This study piloted a hospital-based delirium and falls education program to investigate the impacts on staff knowledge and practice plus patient falls. On a medical ward, staff knowledge was compared before and after ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.