title: Delirium: a process improvement approach to changing prescribing practices in a community teaching hospital.
abstract: An interdisciplinary continuous process improvement team developed an educational intervention for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals that focused on the role of medications in the etiology of delirium among hospitalized patients aged 65 years and older. An analysis of prescribing practices after the educational intervention revealed a reduction in the use for 57% of the drugs targeted. Other outcomes from this process improvement methodology are also examined.
authors.affiliation: Ball Memorial Hospital, Muncie, IN 47303, USA. jstpierre@chsmail.org
authors.forename: Jeanne St
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Pierre
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003693:Delirium / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards*; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards*; D015995:Prevalence; D011367:Professional Staff Committees / Q000458:organization & administration; D012307:Risk Factors; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*