SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Antipsychotic Use and Delirium: Impact on Falls and Los

Pdf Summary

This retrospective cohort study examined whether antipsychotic use in hospitalized adults with delirium was associated with inpatient falls and length of stay (LOS). The study included 3,707 adult admissions to a large academic hospital between August 2018 and January 2020; all patients screened positive for delirium at least once during hospitalization. The main exposure was receiving at least one dose of an antipsychotic during the admission. Outcomes were inpatient falls and median LOS. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used.<br /><br />Of the patients studied, 46% (1,717) received an antipsychotic. There were 105 inpatient falls, and 68.6% of these falls occurred in patients who received an antipsychotic. Patients who received antipsychotics also had a longer median LOS (16.7 days vs 10.4 days). After adjustment for patient demographics and comorbidities, antipsychotic use remained significantly associated with both increased odds of falling and increased LOS. Specifically, delirious patients receiving antipsychotics had 2.2 times higher odds of falling (95% CI 1.22–3.40).<br /><br />The authors note that patients given antipsychotics may have been more severely ill, which could partly explain the findings, but the medication effect itself should not be ignored. They conclude that clinicians should consider the potential risks of falls and prolonged hospitalization when using antipsychotics for delirium. At the same time, they emphasize that antipsychotics are still likely safer than benzodiazepines for agitation and behavioral symptoms of delirium.

Asset Subtitle

Benjamin Kalivas

Meta Tag

Author List Benjamin Kalivas, George Book, Jingwen Zhang, Justin Marsden, Marc Heincelman, Meghan Thomas, Patrick Mauldin

Category Research

Concept Delirium

Concept Antipsychotic

Concept Hospitalized Patients

Concept Behavioral Symptoms

Concept Inpatient Falls

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Medical University of South Carolina

Presenting Author Benjamin Kalivas

Track Patient Safety

Keywords

antipsychotic use

delirium

inpatient falls

length of stay

hospitalized adults

retrospective cohort study

multivariate regression

adverse outcomes

hospitalization

clinical risk

Delirium

Antipsychotic

Hospitalized Patients

Behavioral Symptoms

Inpatient Falls