Postoperative Delirium Education

Author

Aaron WedeFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-4-2018

Document Type

DNP Project

Project Team Faculty Member

Kay Gaehle

Project Team Faculty Member

Mary Zerlan

Project Team Faculty Member

Michelle Ertel

Keywords

Anesthesia, delirium, postoperative delirium, postoperative cognitive dysfunction, surgery

Abstract

Surgical patients, aged 65 and older, comprise the largest surgical population. Increased age correlates with an increased incidence of postoperative delirium. Postoperative delirium (POD) can drastically increase healthcare costs, length of hospital stay, and overall morbidity and mortality. A clinical reference tool was created to have available for perioperative staff members at a 200-bed community hospital in the Midwest. The tool describes risk factors, prevention methods, and treatment options for POD. The initial implementation of the project was achieved with a PowerPoint presentation which was created to summarize the information found in the literature review and to instruct perioperative staff members how to properly utilize the clinical reference tool. The evaluation of the tool and implementation initiative consisted of a 5 question Likert scale survey which evaluated their effectiveness. The results of the evaluation revealed the information covered in the presentation and the Clinical Reference Tool were adequate; participants expressed that the presentation was very informative. All the objectives of the project were met. Participants were provided with a Clinical Reference Tool for POD, awareness was increased, and overall, participants felt that they would be capable of discussing the impact of cost in relation to postoperative delirium, describe pathology and associated risk factors, and relate assessment results with prevention methods.

Recommended Citation

Wede, Aaron, "Postoperative Delirium Education" (2018). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 29.
https://spark.siue.edu/dnpprojects/29

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