Implementing delirium screening in the emergency department: a quality improvement project

Delirium is a serious medical condition that is common in older adults in acute settings. Clinical practice guidelines recommend that all older patients in acute care settings should be screened for delirium using standardised outcome measures.

In our institution, an audit showed that only 16% of older adults presenting to the emergency department were screened for delirium. The goal of this project was to increase the number of patients being screened for delirium using Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology and tools and a multidisciplinary approach.

A multidisciplinary team in the emergency department used LSS tools and methodology over a 12-week period to first identify why patients were not being screened for delirium using root cause analysis and second to implement a multifaceted intervention including education, audits and feedback, documentation changes and team huddles. An audit was performed at the 11th week of the project to measure how many patients were being screened for delirium post project intervention.

Results at 5 weeks post intervention (11th week of project) showed that the percentage of patients being screened for delirium had increased from 16% to 82%. A follow-up audit at 17 weeks post intervention showed a further improvement in delirium screening to 92%.

Applying LSS tools and methodology resulted in a healthcare quality improvement. Delirium screening in an emergency department can be improved through multifaceted interventions including education, documentation changes and team huddle changes.