A Quantitative Study of the Effectiveness of the Nurse-Led Delirium Protocol on Hospitalized Older Adults Utilizing the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)

Delirium presents as a reversible, fluctuating, altered state of consciousness that leads to an increase in length of hospital stay, a decline in the functional and cognitive status, and increased mortality rates. There are many risk factors and predisposing conditions, and the onset of delirium is thought to be multifactorial. Delirium remains the most common complication of hospitalized older adults. The Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) is one of the assessment tools available to diagnose delirium, and has been implemented at the study hospital. The goal of this quality improvement project is to determine the effectiveness of interventions set forth in the Nurse-Led Delirium Protocol (NLDP) at the study hospital. A comprehensive review of 259 charts tracked the CAM scores before and after implementation of the interventions, and the data was analyzed to determine the effectiveness. Analysis of data suggests that the implementation of the interventions set forth in NLDP lead to a decrease in the proportion of patients that test positive for delirium when assessed utilizing the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). Because of this finding, the continued use of the NLDP for management of delirious patients is supported. A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE NLDP 3