Implementation of Evidenced Based Practice Guidelines for Reducing Emergence Delirium in Elderly Patients Undergoing a Total Hip Replacement

A total hip replacement is a common surgery for the elderly population, as it is a successful treatment option for hip fractures and end-stage osteoarthritis, a common condition associated with aging. Recovery from surgery is critical, and any postoperative complication can delay recovery, increase cost, lengthen hospital stay, and lead to a poorer long-term surgical outcome. One of the most common and severe postoperative complications for elderly patients following general anesthesia is emergence delirium. Traditional practice focuses on treating the symptoms of emergence delirium reactively instead of proactively and lacks standardized guidelines. Recent literature found a promising decrease in the incidence of emergence delirium for elderly patients undergoing a total hip replacement with general anesthesia using evidence-based practice interventions. In this proposed project, after receiving approval from hospital administrators, the project team will educate recovery nurses on appropriate assessment tools to collect baseline data for the current rates of emergence delirium for three months or roughly 50 patients. The project team will then educate staff on changes to practice for the proposed evidence-based practice guidelines and gather data for another three months or approximately 50 patients. After completion of data collection, a data analysis will be used to assess the impact of the proposed guidelines on emergence delirium. The final scholarly project team anticipates a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of emergence delirium using the proposed guidelines. If the desired outcomes are unmet, additional investigation will be necessary to determine causative factors and adjust the guidelines as required.