The virtual gateway: Opening doors in delirium teaching and learning

Abstract

Delirium is a common, serious and potentially preventable problem. It is argued here that knowledge and skills for effective assessment and treatment of delirium cannot be considered 'specialist'. Rather, delirium is a problem that requires a healthcare team approach to assessing patients, identifying risks or symptoms and reducing precipitating factors. Research from the preceding decade suggests that the clinical reality is falling short of this ideal with the result that many cases of delirium go undetected and many precipitating factors are not reduced where this is indeed possible. This presents a challenge for the education of nursing and medical students and for the development of qualified staff in practice. The current paper outlines an educational approach, e-learning, which increases access for learners, integrates knowledge and skill development and promotes active, problem-based learning.

Evaluating the effectiveness of educational interventions to prevent delirium

“…Novel approaches to delivering educational interventions to prevent delirium have been described using electronic media, but have not yet been evaluated; for example, using electronic self‐directed learning for doctors in the Care of the Hospitalised Ageing Medical Patient [50] and nurses [51]. Further projects are underway in England using an intranet teaching package (Jim George, personal communication, 2010).…”

“…Further projects are underway in England using an intranet teaching package (Jim George, personal communication, 2010). The emergent use of e‐learning may provide a more accessible and cost‐effective method of teaching about delirium [50,51]. This could also include electronic reminders, which have proven effective in altering physician behaviours to improve performance [33].…”

The effect of an interactive delirium e-learning tool on healthcare workers’ delirium recognition, knowledge and strain in caring for delirious patients: a pilot pre-test/post-test study

“…Educational strategies including reinforcing (i.e., use of reminders and feedback from experts) and enabling (i.e., use of guidelines, pocket cards or protocols) approaches have shown to be effective in improving delirium care, with benefits on the incidence, duration and severity of delirium, functional status and length of stay as well as on healthcare workers’ knowledge, skills and workload [ 8 – 10 ]. However, implementing and maintaining adherence to these multifactorial educational initiatives is time consuming and labour intensive, and thus these initiatives are difficult to implement outside the research setting [ 11 , 12 ]. Furthermore, given the variety of healthcare workers involved in the care for delirious patients, broader approaches to education targeting the mixed learning needs of the whole multidisciplinary team are needed [ 11 ].…”

Improving recognition of delirium in clinical practice: a call for action

“…It was felt that educational innovations should be offered for all healthcare professionals at pre and post qualifying levels and where possible be freely accessible on line. For example, results of a study presented at the most recent EDA meeting showed a delirium e-learning program to be an effective educational approach to improve nurses’ knowledge about delirium [19,20]. Lastly, the importance of interprofessional education as a teaching method was also highlighted [21].…”