Beware of Delirium

• Delirium affects a great number of patients in a variety of age groups in acute and long-term care settings.
• Delirium is often confused with depression, dementia, or Alzheimer disease, causing a larger financial burden to the patient and lasting effects.
• Over-the-counter and prescription medications may be a threat to patients at risk of delirium.
• For patients in the intensive care unit, treating a delirious patient means managing their delirium as well as their pain and agitation.
• Uncovering the underlying cause of delirium is critical to effective management.

Delirium has become one of the highest cost burdens to health care today. This preventable illness is underrecognized within acute and long-term health care settings. Providers need to be aware of the risk factors for developing delirium as well as the significance delirium has on patients and their families. Often, delirium is mistaken as dementia or depression; therefore, providers need to understand how to identify symptoms associated with each. Education and implementing screening tools into care can help clinicians identify delirium early, in turn preventing progression and saving the patient, family, and health care facility time, money, and heartache.