Knowledge of residents about delirium and its management in agitated older patients
Type de matériel :
23
Delirium is a common and serious condition, and yet it is often avoidable. Previous studies have revealed that medical staff lack knowledge about this syndrome, including its diagnosis and therapeutic management. In France, residents are often first-line caregivers for patients with delirium. The purpose of this study is therefore to assess residents’ level of knowledge about delirium and its therapeutic management in older adults. Our study is a national survey carried out between June and December 2019 using a self-administered survey derived from the 2009 Haute Autorité de santé (HAS) recommendations regarding delirium. The primary endpoint was the overall score obtained by residents. The secondary endpoints included the score in different fields of competence (general knowledge, diagnostic, therapeutic) and comparison of the residents’ scores with their level of training. A total of 182 residents from 23 specialisms and 18 different cities were represented. Residents were involved in more than 97% of cases, yet 45% of them were unaware of the HAS recommendations. The mean score on the survey was 68/100. Therapeutic management seemed to be the most difficult stage, especially when the symptoms of delirium were severe. Our study highlights the benefit of practical training during internships to improve the level of knowledge on delirium. This study suggests the need for specific teaching on delirium. Both theoretical and practical training seems to be the most effective method. Development of a national educational program about delirium and its management could be proposed to improve residents’ awareness and develop their skillset. Increasing the number of mobile geriatric teams and supporting their activities could also improve delirium management. Finally, it could be useful to develop a pocket tool that offered clinicians practical bedside help. The development of such a tool would require further studies to evaluate its relevance and effectiveness.
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