Things we often screen for on acute medical admission in older people: - Sepsis - VTE risk - Falls risk - Pressure ulcer risk - Nutritional status - Frailty But many places still mostly don't screen for: - Delirium BUT Delirium independently predicts mortality, prolonged admission, new institutionalisation, and incident dementia. It also causes a lot of suffering in patients and families, especially when not recognised and the diagnosis communicated.  There is a validated, free screening test that takes under 2 minutes, and it works. The 4AT. It's simple - see below. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 My hope is in a few years time we will look back on this era where it was okay to ignore delirium as horrifying.  We will wonder what we were thinking.  #dementia #delirium #falls #hospitalcare

“The nurse who explained every procedure was the only ‘good guy’ in my #delirium story.” -- Delirium survivor Be that nurse. Be that doctor. Be that therapist.

🧠🏥 Diagnostic Pathway for Suspected Dementia on Acute Hospital Wards From the Irish Health Service Executive