Date of Award
12-2025
Degree Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice
Committee Chair
Dr. Mary Jane Collins
Committee Chair School
Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice
Committee Member 2
Dr. Emma Phuong To
Committee Member 2 School
Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice
Abstract
Postoperative delirium (POD) is a significant and preventable complication in geriatric patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Such complication is associated with foreseeable consequences, such as prolonged hospitalization, long-term cognitive decline, increased morbidity and mortality, and increased costs. Despite the emerging awareness of evidence-based nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventional strategies, POD still represents a clinical challenge for anesthesia providers.
Currently, there is a lack of clinical guidelines to guide formalized education and evidence-based interventions on POD prevention across anesthesia practice settings. Consequently, there is a critical need to raise awareness that the lack of clinical guidelines and the high incidence of POD may be interrelated. This doctoral project aims to evaluate the anesthesia providers' current knowledge regarding non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions for POD prevention, followed by the dissemination of best practice recommendations through an online intervention. The intervention includes a visual flyer and extends digital content, distributed via email to anesthesia providers across multiple clinical sites. Participants will complete pre-and post-intervention surveys to assess changes in knowledge.
Data was collected from 46 anesthesia providers, and findings suggest that the educational intervention significantly improved provider knowledge, especially in areas where baseline understanding was weakest, such as the rationale for dexmedetomidine and postoperative monitoring frequency. These results indicate that targeted, evidence-based educational tools effectively prepare anesthesia providers to prevent postoperative delirium (POD).
Copyright
Ana Primeaux and Ashanti Reed, 2025
Recommended Citation
Primeaux, Ana and Reed, Ashanti, "Best Practice Recommendations for Anesthesia Providers in Preventing Postoperative Delirium in the Geriatric Population Undergoing Non-Cardiac Surgery" (2025). Doctoral Projects. 292.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dnp_capstone/292
Included in
Anesthesiology Commons, Geriatric Nursing Commons, Geriatrics Commons, Interprofessional Education Commons, Patient Safety Commons, Perioperative, Operating Room and Surgical Nursing Commons