Barriers and Facilitators to the Fidelity of Delirium Screening in the Emergency Department: An Ethnographic Approach.

Background: The Geriatric Emergency Department (ED) guidelines recommend screening older adults for delirium using evidence‐based screening tools, but these tools are often underutilized. We aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to implementing an electronic health record (EHR)‐based delirium...

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Publicado en:Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Vol. 74; no. 1; pp. 43 - 55
Autores principales: Carpenter, Kayla P., Bellolio, Fernanda, Bartolacci, Manuela, Jeffery, Molly M., Bower, Susan M., Southerland, Lauren T., Mullan, Aidan F., Ridgeway, Jennifer L.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Jan2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Barriers and Facilitators to the Fidelity of Delirium Screening in the Emergency Department: An Ethnographic Approach.
      aug:
        au:
          Carpenter, Kayla P.
          Bellolio, Fernanda
          Bartolacci, Manuela
          Jeffery, Molly M.
          Bower, Susan M.
          Southerland, Lauren T.
          Mullan, Aidan F.
          Ridgeway, Jennifer L.
        affil:
          Department of Emergency Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota,, USA
          Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota,, USA
          Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota,, USA
          Department of Nursing, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota,, USA
          Department of Emergency Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio,, USA
          Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota,, USA
      su:
        Nurse-patient relationships
        Ethnology research
        Interviewing
        Content analysis
        Ethnology
        Sound recordings
        Caregivers
        Medical screening
        Patients' attitudes
        Communication barriers
        Old age
        Diagnosis of delirium
        Medical protocols
        Academic medical centers
        Research funding
        Hospital emergency services
        Descriptive statistics
        Workflow
        Electronic health records
        Research methodology
        Nurses' attitudes
        Clinical competence
        Emergency nurses
      sug:
        subj:
          Nurse-patient relationships
          Ethnology research
          Interviewing
          Content analysis
          Ethnology
          Sound recordings
          Caregivers
          Medical screening
          Patients' attitudes
          Communication barriers
          Old age
          All Other Miscellaneous Ambulatory Health Care Services
          Integrated Record Production/Distribution
          Sound recording merchant wholesalers
          Record Production
          Diagnosis of delirium
          Medical protocols
          Academic medical centers
          Research funding
          Hospital emergency services
          Descriptive statistics
          Workflow
          Electronic health records
          Research methodology
          Nurses' attitudes
          Clinical competence
          Emergency nurses
      keyword:
        delirium
        delirium screening
        emergency department
        geriatrics
        implementation science
        delirium
        delirium screening
        emergency department
        geriatrics
        implementation science
      ab: Background: The Geriatric Emergency Department (ED) guidelines recommend screening older adults for delirium using evidence‐based screening tools, but these tools are often underutilized. We aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to implementing an electronic health record (EHR)‐based delirium screening tool as intended. Methods: This mixed methods and focused ethnographic study combined a review of structured delirium screening data with observations of real‐time delirium screenings and semi‐structured in‐person interviews at an academic ED that previously implemented the Delirium Triage Screen (DTS) and Brief Confusion Assessment Method (bCAM) tool. Content analysis of field notes from observations and interview transcripts was guided by the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment implementation framework. Results: From a total of 40,818 ED visits, 6196 (15.2%) had incomplete screens (i.e., without fidelity). We observed 62 encounters, of which 25 (40.3%) screenings were implemented without fidelity due to (1) not asking the required screening questions, (2) assuming patient responses, or (3) not completing the screen due to uncertainty regarding a patient's baseline mentation. We conducted 32 interviews. Identified barriers included staff prioritization of other tasks (e.g., stroke code, cleaning patients), limited knowledge of the screen's importance and utility, and language discordance. Facilitators included care partners providing baseline mental status information and nurses prefacing the screening to increase patient engagement. Conclusion: The fidelity of ED delirium screening is influenced by an interplay of environmental, patient, provider, and caregiver factors. Fidelity may be improved by focusing education on the importance of screening, training screeners on how to determine whether a patient's mentation is acutely changed, providing clear action steps when a patient screens positive, and addressing how to administer the delirium screen to patients who do not speak English fluently.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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