Hospital Elder Life Program in the Real World: The Many Uses of the Hospital Elder Life Program Website

Abstract

Delirium, a common condition in older hospitalized patients associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs, can be successfully prevented by the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP). In 2011, HELP transitioned to a web-based dissemination model to provide accessible resources, including implementation materials, information for healthcare professionals and patients/families, and a searchable reference database. We hypothesized that while intended to assist sites to establish a HELP program, the resources offered by the HELP website might have broader applications. We sent an email requesting participation in an online survey of all HELP website registrants from September 10, 2012 to March 15, 2013 to examine the uses of the resources on the website and to evaluate knowledge diffusion related to these resources. Of 102 responding sites, 73 (72%) completed the survey. Thirty-nine (53%) had implemented and maintained an active HELP model. The HELP website resources were used by 26 sites (35%) to plan for implementation of the HELP model and by 35 sites (50%) to implement and support the program during and after launch. Sites also used the resources for the development of non-HELP delirium prevention programs and guidelines. A total of 45 sites (61%) used the website resources for educational purposes, targeting healthcare professionals, patients, families, or volunteers. The results demonstrated that HELP resources were used for implementation of HELP and other delirium prevention programs, and were also disseminated broadly in innovative educational efforts across both the professional and lay communities.

Nursing assessment as an effective tool for the identification of delirium risk in older in‐patients: A case–control study

“…The areas of care and the risk factors identified using the comprehensive nursing assessment instrument broadly coincide with those of the protocols and basic interventions in the multicomponent HELP program (Chen et al., ; Hshieh et al., ; Yue et al., ).…”

Delirium and correlates of delirium among newly admitted elderly patients: a cross-sectional study in a Saudi general hospital

“… 24 Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) is a widely recognized multicomponent intervention program to prevent delirium. 2 , 25 It is used internationally at over 60 institutions for delirium prevention and consists of standardized interventions that address six key risk factors – cognitive impairment, sleep deprivation, immobility, diminished vision or hearing, and dehydration. 26 , 27 …”

Hospital Elder Life Program: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Effectiveness

“…All admissions are screened for eligibility, and interventions are assigned based on the presence of risk factors for delirium, including baseline cognitive impairment, sleep deprivation, immobility, visual or hearing impairment, and dehydration. 10,13 HELP assists patients in multiple ways to prevent both delirium and functional decline. 14,15 While the intervention protocols are standardized, the assigned interventions are individualized and tailored to each patient in accordance with their abilities and preferences.…”