Date
9-2020
Department
School of Nursing
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Chair
Rachel Abraham Joseph
Keywords
Delirium Protocol, Falls, Acute Care, Adult
Disciplines
Nursing
Recommended Citation
Thornton, Shelly Steverson, "Use of Delirium Protocols in Decreasing Falls Among Adults in Acute Care: An Integrative Review" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2653.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2653
Abstract
Delirium in elderly hospitalized adults continues to be a common and costly issue in health care today. Various delirium protocols and strategies are available to reduce negative outcomes of delirium such as falls, increased length of stay, pressure ulcers, hospital readmissions, the need for transferal to long-term care, and mortality rates. However, many hospitals have still not implemented routine delirium protocols. Because falls in older hospitalized adults are often linked to delirium, this integrative review was undertaken to examine delirium protocols and approaches that specifically decrease falls among older adults in acute care settings. Several multicomponent, multidisciplinary delirium protocols were found to be effective in reducing falls in 17 of the 20 studies reviewed.
