Grant: Project Grant

Delirium is a brain condition in which patients become very confused and lose their ability to focus attention. Over half of the patients in intensive care units (ICUs) suffer from delirium during their ICU stay. Being older makes a patient more likely to develop delirium in the ICU. Research has shown that patients with ICU delirium are more likely to die or have long-term brain problems. Family members may also notice changes in their own mental health. Although nurses and doctors have tools to measure delirium in the ICU, delirium can be very difficult to diagnose and, in some cases, may be missed. This means that some patients with delirium are not being treated. Family members may be the first to notice changes in a patient's thinking, concentration or alertness. There are tools called the FAM-CAM and "Sour Seven" that can be used by family members to measure delirium. However, neither of these tools has been used in an ICU. By doing this study, we will be able to show if the FAM-CAM and "Sour Seven" can be used by family members to accurately measure delirium in older adults in the ICU. We will also be able to evaluate the stress that family members experience while a patient is in the ICU. The results from this study may lead to changes in how family members are involved in care and in the end improve the diagnosis of delirium in the ICU. In turn, this may improve patient care and patient and family outcomes in the ICU.