Overview
The project aims to improve patient safety, reduce barriers to the implementation of current guideline recommendations, reduce workload in clinics, increase efficiency in work processes and close gaps in care.
Description
Postoperative delirium (POD) is the most common post-operative complication in the 70+ age group, affecting approximately fifteen percent of elderly patients. POD is characterized by impaired attention, awareness, and cognitive function. Both patients and their families are severely affected by the effects of this condition. While symptoms of POD occur during hospitalization, they have a critical impact on post-hospitalization quality of life, dependency on long-term care, and life expectancy.
The overarching goal of the Digi-POD project consortium is to develop a digital decision support system that makes current evidence-based guideline recommendations for POD machine-readable and allows automated, real-time validation against clinical data.
Eligibility
Study patients:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age ≥ 70 years
- Male and female patients
- Patients who are insured through statutory health insurance
- Patients capable of giving consent for inclusion: by the patient, preoperatively
- Patients under guardianship for inclusion: written declaration of consent by guardian
- Operation (elective)
Exclusion Criteria:
- Insufficient language skills
- Moribund patients
Study relatives
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age ≥ 18 years
- Male and female relatives
- Relatives capable of giving consent for inclusion
Exclusion Criteria:
- Insufficient language skills
- No consent for data entry
Substudy of the Charité - University Berlin:
Inclusion criteria:
- All inpatients ≥ 18 years of age who have undergone delirium screening with a validated delirium screening instrument