Preoperative Cognitive Assessment Recommendations for the Older Adult.

The purpose of this project was to identify the need for and to improve the preoperative cognitive assessment of the older adult.A retrospective chart review was used to explore the incidence of postoperative delirium (PD) and characteristics associated with it.A retrospective chart review was used to identify the incidence of PD in a community hospital. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for trends in demographic and physiological characteristics of older adults undergoing elective hip or knee surgery.The incidence of PD was found to be 11%. Older adults with PD had an increased mean age and comorbid conditions. PD was associated with a mean increase in hospital stay, postoperative complications, and 30-day readmission.Preoperative cognitive assessment can identify high-risk patients, stratify care, medically optimize the older adult before surgery, and improve perioperative outcomes.

Duke Scholars

Author Denise Tola School of Nursing