Delirium screening in patients in a palliative care ward: a best practice implementation project

The objective was to promote evidence-based practice in screening for delirium in patients in the palliative care ward of a cancer hospital in Shanghai.

Delirium is common but under recognized among patients in palliative care settings. Early detection is essential for timely management. Practice guidelines recommend an initial screening at first contact, followed by continuous screening.

The Joanna Briggs Institute's three-phase Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System and the Getting Research into Practice audit and feedback tool were used to enhance evidence-based practice. In phase 1, four audit criteria were developed and a baseline audit was conducted. In phase 2, barriers to compliance were identified, and strategies were adopted to promote best practice. In phase 3, a follow-up audit was conducted.

In the baseline audit, no delirium screening was performed, either on admission or regularly during hospitalization, hence compliance with these two audit criteria was 0%. Two out of 18 nurses had received training in delirium management, however neither had been trained to use the delirium screening tool. Compliance with the two criteria for nurse training was 11% and 0%, respectively. Four barriers were identified, including lack of a standardized screening tool, lack of a standardized screening procedure, inadequate knowledge on the part of the nurses, and potential inconsistencies between nurses in the rating of screening criteria. After applying strategies to address these barriers, compliance with the four audit criteria was 100%, 100%, 72%, and 72%, respectively, in the follow-up audit.

Best practice in delirium screening was successfully established in the ward.