NURSING 3PA2 Lecture Notes - Lecture 40: Dementia
10 Apr 2018
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Document Summary
Identify the subtypes of delirium and their associated characteristics. Identify the predisposing and precipitating factors that increase a patient"s risk for delirium: discuss the pathophysiology of delirium, describe the intervention protocols used to prevent and manage delirium in the hospitalized elderly population. Delirium is a common, life-threatening and potentially preventable clinical syndrome induced by a variety of physical causes. It is often defined as an acute decline in the cognitive processes of the brain, namely attention and cognition. It is most strongly associated with hospitalized patients who are 65 years of age or older. Patients with delirium may exhibit periods of inattention, disorganized thinking, changes in level of consciousness, disorientation, delusions, perceptual disturbances, as well as impaired memory, speech, sleep, and psychomotor activity. These changes in cognitive function can fluctuate in severity throughout the day and as such, delirium is often under- recognized and undertreated. It is estimated that two thirds of patients with delirium go unreported.
