Table 2.

Research and practice agenda for recognition and management of delirium in hospitalised older adults with dementia

The following are proposed to enhance nurse recognition and management of delirium in hospitalised older adults: Implementation of standardised nursing assessment Tailoring current assessment instruments (i.e. CAM, NEECHAM, etc.) to fit routine electronic assessment and documentation of unique acute care facilities Increase physician and nurse knowledge of assessment tools through education and technological innovations Increasing research on non-pharmacological interventions Increase in controlled, clinical trials using non-pharmacological interventions to manage delirium in hospitalised older adults Development of guidelines to use non-pharmacological interventions vs. drug therapies in delirium Translating the use of non-pharmacological interventions Develop prescriptive non-pharmacological interventions for the management of specific symptoms of delirium tailored to underlying patient characteristics Target implicit nurse interventions through the development of toolkits and innovative technological interventions embedded in the daily routine of the acute care setting Address the organisational and systemic barriers and facilitators to implementing assessment and non-drug interventions into clinical care