Computerized tool and interdisciplinary care for older patients with delirium in the emergency department: a novel model in Taiwan

• Published in: Aging clinical and experimental research Vol. 34; no. 12; pp. 3137 - 3144
• Main Authors: Tan, Tian-Hoe, Yang, Ting-Ya, Chen, Yao-Mei, Chung, Shiu-Yuan, Liu, Hsiao-Hua, Yang, Pei-Chi, Kao, Pei-Hsin, Peng, An-Chi, Shu, Yi-Min, Chu, Yu-Sheng, Tsai, Kang-Ting, Hsu, Chien-Chin, Ho, Chung-Han, Lin, Hung-Jung, Huang, Chien-Cheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.12.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aging; Cardiovascular disease; Collaboration; Delirium; Drug stores; Education; Emergency medical care; Expenditures; Geriatrics; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Information systems; Integrative medicine; Interdisciplinary aspects; Internal medicine; Intervention; Long term health care; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mortality; Multidisciplinary teams; Ostomy; Palliative care; Physicians; Quality control; Short Communication; Computerized; Delirium; Emergency department; Delirium triage screen; Confusion assessment method; Interdisciplinary; Older
• ISSN: 1720-8319; 1594-0667; 1720-8319
• DOI: 10.1007/s40520-022-02240-7

Aims A computerized tool and interdisciplinary care were implemented to develop a novel model for older patients with delirium in the emergency department (ED). Methods We developed a computerized tool using a delirium triage screen and brief confusion assessment in the hospital information system, performed education for the healthcare providers, and developed a continuous care protocol. Comparisons for outcomes between pre- and post-intervention periods were performed. Results Compared with the pre-intervention period, patients in the post-intervention period had shorter hospitalization stay, lower expenditure of hospitalization, more likely to return home, lower ED revisits of ≤ 3 days, re-hospitalization of ≤ 14 days, and mortality of ≤ 1 month. All mentioned differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions A novel model was successfully developed for delirium management in older patients in the ED. Outcome differences were not significant; however, the result is promising, which gives us an important reference in the future.