Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Delirium Prevention Bundle in Critically Ill Patients.

BACKGROUND: Strategies for preventing delirium include early identification and avoiding or modifying patient, environmental, and iatrogenic factors. Minimal research exists on a prescriptive delirium prevention bundle that details elements or strategies for each bundle component. Even less research has been focused on nurse-driven interventions or components.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a delirium prevention bundle in decreasing delirium incidence in 2 medical-surgical intensive care units in a large Texas medical center.

METHODS: Researchers used the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit to assess delirium incidence by using a controlled interventional cohort design with 447 delirium-negative critically ill patients. Bundle components consist of sedation cessation, pain management, sensory stimulation, early mobilization, and sleep promotion.

RESULTS: The intervention, analyzed by using a logistic regression model, reduced the odds of delirium by 78% (odds ratio, 0.22; P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS: The delirium prevention bundle was effective in reducing the incidence of delirium in critically ill medical-surgical patients. Further validation studies are under way.