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Delirium commonly occurs in acutely ill older patients, affecting up to 17% of older emergency department patients and up to 64% of hospitalized older medical inpatients. Delirium has devastating consequences. It is an independent predictor of short-term and long-term mortality across multiple clinical environments. Approximately one out of three older emergency department patients with delirium will die within 6-months.

Delirium is a significant threat to the older patient’s independence and quality of life; it is associated with accelerated cognitive and functional decline, increased rates of nursing home placement, and longer hospital length of stays.  Delirium also places a significant financial burden to the US health care system, costing it approximately $152 billion dollars each year.

The emergency department plays a central role in the US health care system and is the gateway for the majority of hospital admissions. The delirium care provided in this setting has downstream effects on patient care. Because of the critical role the emergency department plays, www.eddelirium.org was created to educate emergency medicine healthcare providers about delirium’s epidemiology, assessment, and management. Because the vast majority of delirious emergency department patients are admitted to the hospital, much of this website’s content will be applicable to downstream providers (i.e., inpatient wards).

Read more about delirium

Delirium in elderly people.

Inouye SK, Westendorp RG, Saczynski JS. Delirium in elderly people. Lancet. 2014;383:911-922.

Altered mental status in older patients in the emergency department.

Han JH, Wilber ST. Altered mental status in older patients in the emergency department. Clin Geriatr Med. 2013;29:101-136.