Occupational Therapy-Led Delirium Management in Long-Term Acute Care: A Pilot

Abstract

Aim

To investigate the feasibility of occupational therapy-led multidisciplinary delirium management interventions in a long-term acute care hospital to decrease incidence of delirium and increase independence for self-care.

Methods

Convenience sampling was used to recruit eight patients in a long-term acute care hospital for a pretest/posttest delirium management pilot study. Interventions included mobility, functional cognition, sensory deficit correction, self-care, and sleep interventions. Delirium was assessed using the ICDSC and the CAM-ICU; self-care outcomes were measured using the AM-PAC “6 clicks” Daily Activities Short Form.

Results

One participant decreased delirium incidence and increased self-care independence following the intervention. However, participants in aggregate had a 25% decrease in delirium incidence.

Conclusion

Occupational therapy interventions may positively impact delirium incidence in long-term acute care hospital patients, but interdisciplinary team management with collaborative team interventions may be necessary to extend the impact to patient functional outcomes.

Keywords:

• Occupational therapy
• delirium
• acute care
• self-care independence

Acknowledgments

The first author would like to acknowledge both the University of Virginia Transitional Care Hospital patients and families who participated in this study. Without them, none of this work would have been possible. Additionally, the success of this study would not have been possible without the hospital volunteers who eagerly worked alongside the first author.

Affiliation

Subsequent to the completion of this research, the first author transitioned to private occupational therapy practice and is no longer affiliated with the UVA Transitional Care Hospital.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. Only the authors are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.