title: Preventing delirium in older people.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Delirium can have serious consequences, including increased hospitalisation and risk of death, and worsening dementia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the feasibility of preventing delirium in care homes for older people.
  
  
  METHODS
  An enhanced educational package targeting care home staff was developed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Staff were not confident in recognising, preventing or managing delirium before the intervention. After it, however, they showed a greater awareness: the total number of episodes of delirium in residents' records increased; the number of prescriptions fell; and the proportion of residents who had had a cognitive test in the previous six months rose.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further research is needed to establish the project's efficacy and cost effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: Bradford District Care Trust and Leeds Institute for Health.
authors.forename: Najma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Siddiqi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003479:Curriculum; D003693:Delirium / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004506:Education, Nursing; D055318:Evidence-Based Nursing / Q000193:education*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans