What is it about?
We examined medical records for older adults who spent at least 24 hours in the hospital in southeastern Michigan, and searched for incidents of dementia and incidents of aggressive behavior. We found that delirium was the top reason for aggressive behavior, and that there is a strong correlation between individuals who came through the doors with a delirium and becoming aggressive while in the hospital, and also between having a previous mental health diagnosis (other than dementia) and becoming aggressive while in the hospital.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
This information could be useful for quick triage, and could help staff quickly identify patients who might benefit from some changes to the environment or the way that we interact with them. If we can identify people who are at risk earlier, maybe we can mitigate the circumstances that lead to the aggressive behavior.
Perspectives
It is entirely possible that some of the dangerous behavior that happens in the hospital is brought about by the environments that we create and the ways that we interact with our patients. Hospitals- especially emergency departments- are always scary from the patient perspective, and when someone has dementia it can be confusing, overwhelming, and involve intrusive actions by people unknown to the individual. In the course of saving lives, we may be inadvertently contributing to the confusion and combativeness of some patients. What would you do if you had a history of trauma and suffered from dementia, and ended up in the ED/ER where people you did not know were suddenly touching you for reasons that you don't understand? By finding ways to quickly identify individuals who may be at the highest risk for dangerous behaviors such as aggression, we can help trigger protocols to adapt to meet their needs and hopefully sidestep some of the stimuli.
Dr. Tracy Wharton
University of Central Florida
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Delirium and mental health history as predictors of aggression in individuals with dementia in inpatient settings, Aging & Mental Health, September 2016, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2016.1235680.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
