Individual research recommendation details

Recommendation ID

CG103/04

Question

Multicomponent intervention: For people in long-term care, is a multicomponent non-pharmacological intervention more clinically and cost effective than usual care in preventing the development of delirium?

Any explanatory notes
(if applicable)

Why this is important?

Although there is moderate-quality evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness for multicomponent interventions for the prevention of delirium in people in hospital, there is no evidence in a long-term care setting. It is anticipated that such an intervention would benefit this long-term care population. A large, adequately powered, randomised trial, or a large, adequately powered, cluster randomised trial should be conducted in people in long-term care to compare a multicomponent intervention with usual care. The multicomponent intervention should include assessment by a trained and competent healthcare professional, who would recommend actions tailored to the person's needs. The intervention should include the recommended interventions to prevent delirium, particularly reorientation, medication review, hydration and sleep hygiene. The primary outcome should be the incidence of delirium, measured at least daily using a validated diagnostic tool. The severity and duration of delirium should also be recorded using a validated tool, together with the consequences of delirium, including admission to hospital.

Source guidance details

Comes from guidance

Delirium: prevention, diagnosis and management in hospital and long-term care

Number

CG103

Date issued

July 2010

Other details