Presentation
Hospital Environments for Delirium Prevention in Older Adults: From Evidence to Future Possibilities
SessionPoster Session 2
DescriptionDelirium is common among hospitalized elderly patients and affects one in every three of them. Delirium is associated with prolonged hospital stays, high mortality, and increased medical expenses. The healthcare environment correlates with the incidence of delirium and is frequently a risk factor. Hospital environmental factors, such as levels of lighting and noise, the availability of orientation cues, and the presence of socially supportive environments, can be modified and implemented as interventions to reduce the incidence and severity of delirium. These interventions may offer an opportunity to reduce the occurrence of delirium and reliance on pharmacological approaches, which may lead to side effects. However, evidence on the overall range and effectiveness of environmental interventions remains limited and fragmented.
To address this gap, a scoping review of existing studies on environmental interventions aimed at preventing and managing delirium in hospitalized elderly patients was conducted to: (1) identify the range of environmental interventions used in hospitalized elderly patients, (2) evaluate their effectiveness in reducing delirium prevalence, severity, duration, and event rates, and (3) highlight implementation barriers and research gaps that need to be addressed to guide future approaches.
A search was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, and Scopus, with eligible studies including randomized controlled trials and observational studies.
This presentation will provide the outcomes of the review by synthesizing the current body of evidence on five domains of environmental interventions for delirium prevention and management among hospitalized elderly adults: ambient, spatial layout, multi-sensory, reorientation, and social communication interventions. The five major categories of interventions, their reported effectiveness, and common barriers to implementation in hospital settings will be shared.
In addition, the session will provide an interdisciplinary perspective on practical ways environmental interventions can be applied in healthcare settings and provide support for how environmental modifications can better promote delirium prevention and management. The findings are expected to inform future design approaches for hospital environments and contribute to creating more human-centered, delirium-friendly healthcare environments for older adults, who represent the population most vulnerable to delirium.
To address this gap, a scoping review of existing studies on environmental interventions aimed at preventing and managing delirium in hospitalized elderly patients was conducted to: (1) identify the range of environmental interventions used in hospitalized elderly patients, (2) evaluate their effectiveness in reducing delirium prevalence, severity, duration, and event rates, and (3) highlight implementation barriers and research gaps that need to be addressed to guide future approaches.
A search was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, and Scopus, with eligible studies including randomized controlled trials and observational studies.
This presentation will provide the outcomes of the review by synthesizing the current body of evidence on five domains of environmental interventions for delirium prevention and management among hospitalized elderly adults: ambient, spatial layout, multi-sensory, reorientation, and social communication interventions. The five major categories of interventions, their reported effectiveness, and common barriers to implementation in hospital settings will be shared.
In addition, the session will provide an interdisciplinary perspective on practical ways environmental interventions can be applied in healthcare settings and provide support for how environmental modifications can better promote delirium prevention and management. The findings are expected to inform future design approaches for hospital environments and contribute to creating more human-centered, delirium-friendly healthcare environments for older adults, who represent the population most vulnerable to delirium.
Event Type
Poster Presentation
TimeTuesday, March 244:45pm - 6:15pm EDT
LocationRhinelander Gallery
Hospital Environments