In this episode, we explore what delirium is and why it is so common in the patients that we see across our hospitals. We talk about assessment and what we can do to recognise and diagnose delirium early with a focus on ‘SQID’ and the 4AT, outlined in the Regional Delirium care pathway.

We refer to the ‘PINCH ME’ mnemonic to help us consider the most common causes of delirium and to help us better understand and support our patients who may be experiencing this often frightening and distressing condition. We also explore questions such as ‘how can someone who is normally as sharp as a tack be so suddenly thrown off by this condition?’ as well as exploring the impact of delirium on someone living with dementia, and then finally discussing where mental capacity comes into all of this and are people with delirium able to make decisions for themselves.

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We look for forward to catching up with you in our next episode where we explore the triggers for delirium and what causes this unsettling confusional state.