Quality improvement and delirium

Key summary pointsAim An overview of the principles of quality improvement and summary of these as they apply to the clinical field of delirium. Findings To date, there have been few published studies of quality improvement in the field of delirium. However, this is a useful methodology to assess and improve clinical practice. Message Quality improvement is a powerful tool to drive forward the awareness, assessment and management of delirium in a timely way which to date has been under-utilized. Purpose Quality improvement (QI) is a useful methodology that can be used to make timely improvements in clinical practice. This review gives a broad picture of what QI is and the methodology this entails. An overview of how QI has been applied in the field of delirium to date is provided as well as a discussion of how this area may be developed in the future. Methods As part of the review, a literature search was completed to assess the literature published to date on QI and delirium. Literature relating to delirium in the context of a variety of clinical specialties is also presented as well as a summary of short films that can be used for purposes of awareness raising. Results We found that QI has so far been an under-utilized methodology in the context of delirium and that studies that adhere to general guidance on reporting are few. Conclusion We suggest that well-designed QI studies would be beneficial to improve the assessment, management and care of delirium. The methodology may also be used to embed educational resources. In this review, we describe the theory behind QI and also suggest some resources that may be useful in any QI delirium project.