Stop Delirium! A complex intervention to prevent delirium in care homes: a mixed-methods feasibility study.

BACKGROUND

delirium is likely to be particularly common in care homes, given the clustering of known risk factors in these settings. Preventing delirium should result in significant benefits, including better quality of care and improved outcomes for residents.

OBJECTIVE

to test the feasibility of 'Stop Delirium!', an intervention to prevent delirium in care homes for older people, and to optimise parameters to inform the design of a future trial evaluation.

METHOD

we delivered Stop Delirium! to six care homes over 10 months, in a mixed methods before and after study.

RESULTS

Stop Delirium! was successfully implemented in the study homes. We found evidence supporting positive changes in staff attitudes and practice after the intervention. Although qualitative data suggested it was too early to expect changes in resident outcomes, we also found preliminary evidence suggesting potential improvements in a range of outcomes, including a reduction in the number of falls and prescribed medications.

CONCLUSION

a complex intervention for delirium prevention in care homes is feasible and has the potential to improve staff practice and outcomes for residents. This work provides the basis for the next phase of the evaluation to establish its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.