Comparison of the efficacy of pharmacological interventions for the prevention of delirium: A systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background: In recent years, many pharmacological agents for the prevention of delirium have emerged; however, the efficacy of these agents in preventing delirium remains unclear. Objective: To compare and rank the efficacy of different pharmacological interventions for the prevention of delirium. Design: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Methods: Relevant randomized controlled trials on drug prevention of delirium were extracted from three electronic databases. A network meta-analysis was then conducted to assess the relative efficacy of drug interventions in preventing delirium. The quality of the data was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Results: A total of 80 randomized controlled trials on drug interventions were included in the final analysis. Treatment with dexmedetomidine can prevent delirium. Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine treatment can prevent delirium and reduce patient suffering. Healthcare professionals should be encouraged to use dexmedetomidine for delirium prevention. (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).