JAGS Paper: Optimizing Delirium Care in the Era of Age-Friendly Health System
The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) has published an article, "Optimizing Delirium Care in the Era of Age-Friendly Health System."
Delirium is an acute disorder of attention and cognition
that is highly prevalent and dangerous for older hospitalized patients. The authors demonstrate how a traditional delirium prevention and management model can be assessed from the perspective of Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS).
The AFHS 4Ms Framework - what Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility - are simple and versatile but still comprehensive, making this a framework with a high potential for optimal delirium management. As an example, they highlight a crosswalk between the core delirium interventions of the evidence-based Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) and the 4Ms.
The paper provides examples of best practices for using the 4Ms to address delirium from Maine Medical Center and Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.
Key points of the paper include:
- Age-Friendly Health System's (AFHS) 4Ms can be used as a practical and comprehensive framework for optimal delirium management in the hospital and the community and further build an age-friendly ecosystem.
- AFHS 4Ms in delirium management can be readily adopted through several useful tools, including integration of AFHS 4Ms in the EHR system, interprofessional education, and estimation of financial benefit using the return-on-investment calculator.
- More additional work to support the application of AFHS to delirium management needs to be conducted.
This paper was developed from a summary of lectures and discussions at the 2022 American Delirium Society Annual Meeting and is authored by Min Ji Kwak, Sharon K. Inouye, Donna M. Fick, Alice Bonner, Terry Fulmer, Emily Carter, Victor Tabbush, Kerri Maya, Nicholas Reed, Christine Waszynski, and Esther S. Oh.
Go to the abstract.
Learn more about the Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative.
Learn more about JAHF's support of the Age-Friendly Health Systems Research Community and previous support of HELP.
