(1265) The Effects of Occupational Therapy on Individuals Presenting With Delirium in an MSICU

Introduction: ICU-acquired delirium is associated with long-term cognitive deficits, mortality, increased hospital length of stay, and increased health-care costs. Occupational therapists are healthcare professionals that target non-pharmacological interventions for delirium and confusion in their skilled evaluations and treatments in everyday practice. The purpose of this study is to describe the outcomes of occupational therapy (OT) services received by individuals identified as having acute delirium in the ICU.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of individuals who were identified as scoring positive on the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU was conducted on patients admitted to the medical-surgical intensive care unit during January 2022 through March 2022.

Results: There were 50 patients chart reviewed for this study who were identified as having delirium in the ICU. There were 12 patients excluded due to lack of hospital discharge record, expiring during hospital stay, or readmission to the ICU. Of the remaining 38 patients, 79% received OT services in the ICU. The median number of days for patients’ hospital length of stay that received OT in the ICU and met plan of care (7.0) and those that received OT in the ICU and did not meet plan of care (19.0) were statistically significant, p=0.017. There was statistical significance (p=0.042) between level of OT received and the patient’s oxygen source; of note 52.6% (10/19) patients that received OT but did not follow plan of care required mechanical ventilation compared to 18.2% (2/11) of patients that received OT and did follow plan of care. There is a clinical significance between the median final Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care mobility scores and patients who received OT and met plan of care (score of 16/24) and patients who did not receive OT (score of 7/24).

Conclusions: OT services that target delirium management may be beneficial for individuals who are identified as having acute delirium in the ICU setting to decrease hospital length of stay and improve functional status by discharge. By dedicating additional staffed occupational therapists to the ICU, patients who have acute delirium may demonstrate improved patient outcomes leading to decreased financial burden on the hospital system.