Delirium is a change in mental status that often goes undetected and untreated and that can result in a number of negative outcomesm for patients. One in for non-ICU patients acquire delirium during their hospital stay. Studies show that 30-40% of hospital-associated delirium is preventable but comprehensive programs to decrease delirium are frequently lacking. 

The Clinical innovation Center team was embeded in a cllnical team comprised of a geriatrician, a neurologist, a hospitalist, a nurse practicioner and a pharmacist to create and implement a comprehensive deliirum care pathway in 15 adult acute care units. The sucess of the implementation required the inter-disciplinary coordination of over 1,000 nurses and 25 medical specialties, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, patient care assistants, volunteers and families. 

The team adopted a rapid prototyping mindset applying leanrnings from one unit rollout to improve the next onen. 

Over the course of the implementation many activities and interventions were tried out to educate, shift beliefs about delirium, change behavior and track performance. Not all were operationalized.

Delirium days and length of stay (LOS) are key performance metrics used to measure impact.