Evaluation of Delirium's Risk Factors in Older Hospitalized Patients

Delirium - a serious disturbance in mental abilities that results in confused thinking and reduced awareness of the environment. The start of delirium is usually rapid — within hours or a few days. It is the most often occuring mental disorder in older hospitalised patients (11 - 42 % of all hospitalised patients). Delirium causes longer hospital stays (around 8 days longer), greater risk to get a hospital infection, greater risk in falling, worse physical and cognitive function regeneration (from 6 to 12 months), greater risk to end up in nursing home, and patients have most likely to develop dementia more often. Delirium is often misdiagnosed or falsely diagnosed as depression or dementia, as a a consequence, higher risk of mortality. However, delirium’s risk factors diagnosed in time and treated correctly, can lower these consequences and bad outcomes. Risk factors identification is the first step in patients plan. Most frequent risk factors are older age (≥ 60 years), cognitive function impairment, functional status disability, other illnesses, depression, orthopedic and cardiovascular operations, diagnostic intervention, long treatment time after femur fracture, bladder catheter, not corrected pain, polypharmacy, hypoxia and hypoperfusion, infections, sleep deprivation. Furthermore, risk factors occurence can differ due to different wards, patient’s clinical characteristics, that is why this thesis will evaluate delirium risk factors in older hospitalised patiens