Learning strategy
The Learn About Delirium website has been developed to serve as an evidence based resource about delirium in the older hospitalised person. Our mission is to build on your prior clinical knowledge and encourage you to use your thinking and problem solving skills. This can be achieved by relating the information to previous experiences and/or follow the case scenario of Mr. Williams. To begin the process read the following:
Previous Clinical Experiences:
Consider an confused older person you have cared for:
- In your opinion what did you think was causing the confusion?
- How was this person managed?
- Did caring for this person require additional staffing?
- Did you think this person required medications for the behaviours associated with the confusion?
- Using principles of best practice did you think better management strategies could have been implemented for this person?
Think:
- Could the confusion have been delirium?
- How would you know it was delirium?
- What tools would you use to diagnose the "confusion" as delirium?
- Is it important to recognise delirium in a hospitalised person?
- If you think the confusion may have been delirium what may have caused the delirium and how should this person with delirium have been managed?
The Process:
To help you think about and find possible answers to the above questions:
- Navigate around the website
- Review the video vignettes of realistic scenarios of patients with delirium, delirium superimposed on dementia and dementia. Think about how you would react to the given scenario and what actions you would take.
- Discuss experiences, ask questions and share information with others through the discussion forums
- Participate in the quizzes to test your knowledge and obtain feedback for your answers
- Review other educational sites to build on the information provided in this website and your own prior knowledge
Evaluation:
On completion of this process you will have the knowledge to answer the following questions?
- What is delirium?
- What are the common risk factors that may contribute to the development of delirium in an older hospitalised person?
- What is the most effective tool to use to diagnose delirium?
- What are the main differences between delirium and dementia?
- How can you diagnose delirium superimposed on dementia?
- What is the most appropriate aim of treatment of delirium?
- What management strategies would you implement to: 1) decrease the risk of delirium in an older person and 2) manage an older person who has developed delirium?
Outcome:
Self confidence and knowledge in your ability to improve patient outcomes!