ePoster with Impact Presentation ANZBA Annual Scientific Meeting 2025

Delirium prevalence, risk factors and compliance with screening in a single centre burns unit (22936)

Danielle E Bear 1 2 , Kathryn Heath 1 , Natalia Adanichkin 1 , Marcus JD Wagstaff 1
  1. Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Australia
  2. Department of Nutritional Sciences, King's College London, London

Background

Delirium is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and may be under-recognised in adult patients with Burns (Stanley et al, 2022). Timely screening and assessment to identify at risk patients can reduce incidence severity and duration. We investigated the prevalence of delirium, associated risk factors and compliance with delirium screening on our adult burns unit.

Methods

This retrospective service evaluation included all patients admitted to the adult burns unit for ≥3 days with a new burn between June 1st and December 31st 2024. Data collected included demographics, clinical factors known to be associated with delirium, frequency of delirium screening, presence of delirium either assessed and documented or identified in the medical records using the validated Chart-based Delirium Identification Instrument (CHART-DEL) (Xu et al, 2011). Compliance with delirium screening was compared with local guidance and potential risk factors investigated using logistic regression. Data are presented as median [interquartile range; IQR], number (n) and percent or odds ratios (OR) (95% confidence interval; CI).

Results

A total of 80 patients were included (age 51 [27.0-70.0] years, 51 (63%) male, TBSA 4.0% [1.4-9.8%], hospital length of stay 8.0 [6.0-13.0] days) with 9 (11.1%) patients being admitted to the ICU for a total of 2.0 [1.0-4.5] days. Admission delirium screening was undertaken in 65 (80.1%) patients and daily screening in 45 (53.1%) patients. Six (7.4%) patients had delirium with no additional cases being identified using CHART-DEL. Intensive Care Unit admission (OR 11.4, 95%CI 1.5-86.4, p=.019) and substance abuse (OR 11.4, 95%CI 1.5-86.4, p=.019) were associated with the presence of delirium after adjustment.

Conclusion

The prevalence of delirium was lower than current evidence suggests, however, compliance with delirium screening was sub-optimal and this may have impacted the results. These data confirm that ICU admission and substance abuse are risk factors for delirium in this cohort.

  1. Stanley GHM, Barber ARJ, O'Brien AM, Hamill C, Boardman G, Frear CC, Edgar DW, Seymour H, Wood FM. Delirium in hospitalised adults with acute burns - A systematic review. Burns. 2022 Aug;48(5):1040-1054.