The nurse working in a long-term care facility completes her morning assessment on a new postoperative patient and notes a change in cognitive status from the previous day? The nurse recognizes which of the following as a precipitating factor for delirium?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Major medical treatment,admission to long-term care,and pharmacological agents are all precipitating factors for delirium.Changes in surroundings often precipitate delirium.The development of delirium is a result of complex interactions among multiple causes.Delirium can result from the interaction of predisposing factors-vulnerability on the part of the individual as a result of predisposing conditions,such as cognitive impairment,severe illness,and sensory impairment; delirium can also result from precipitating factors and insults-medications,procedures,restraints,and iatrogenic events.Although a single factor (e.g.,infection)can trigger an episode of delirium,several co-existing factors are also likely to be present.A highly vulnerable older individual requires a lesser amount of precipitating factors to develop delirium.Poor sleep habits is not a contributing factor in of itself.

The Nurse Working in a Long-Term Care Facility Completes Her