Computer-assisted Cognitive Stimulation Treatment for Delirium (Delitract)

Experimental: Computer-based cognitive intervention

Participants in this group will receive, in addition to standard non-pharmacological measures, a cognitive intervention using a tablet.

Comportamental: Specific computer-based cognitive stimulation intervention

Specific cognitive stimulation intervention using a tablet, administered by the occupational therapist, with the aim of carrying out two interventions each day: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each intervention will vary in duration, depending on the person's clinical condition, but will not exceed 20 minutes. Each person will receive the intervention for a period of one week from the diagnosis of delirium, corresponding to five working days. The intervention will focus on three cognitive aspects that are part of the core symptoms of delirium: attention, orientation and visuospatial ability.

Comportamental: Usual care intervention

Participants will undergo a comprehensive geriatric assessment and will be prescribed multidisciplinary treatment according to the clinical criteria of the centre's professionals, in order to address the underlying condition for which the patient has been admitted to the centre and any associated comorbidities. The guidelines for pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of delirium included in the centre's clinical guidelines will be followed.

With regard to the non-pharmacological treatment of delirium, specific measures will be taken for:

1. Orientation and cognitive stimulation, including visuospatial measures.
2. Early active mobility.
3. Restoration of the sleep-wake cycle.

Comparador Ativo: Usual care intervention

Participants will receive the usual non-pharmacological measures, with emphasis on three groups: guidance, cognitive stimulation and visuospatial measures, early active mobility, and recovery of the sleep-wake cycle.

Comportamental: Usual care intervention

Participants will undergo a comprehensive geriatric assessment and will be prescribed multidisciplinary treatment according to the clinical criteria of the centre's professionals, in order to address the underlying condition for which the patient has been admitted to the centre and any associated comorbidities. The guidelines for pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of delirium included in the centre's clinical guidelines will be followed.

With regard to the non-pharmacological treatment of delirium, specific measures will be taken for:

1. Orientation and cognitive stimulation, including visuospatial measures.
2. Early active mobility.
3. Restoration of the sleep-wake cycle.

Clinical changes in delirium

The overall severity of delirium and of each of its symptoms will be assessed using the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-98) by psychiatrists at the time of admission and after one week, in order to determine changes in its clinical manifestations. The DRS-98 includes phenomenological descriptors to assess the severity levels of each of its 16 items (ranging from 0 to 3, indicating from absence to maximum severity). Scores on the total scale range from 0 to 46 points (items 1 to 16) and from 0 to 39 points on the severity scale (items 1 to 13), indicating from the absence to the maximum severity of symptoms.

The presence and severity of delirium and its core symptoms

The presence and severity of global delirium and of three of its symptoms corresponding to its core domains, assessed using the Delirium Diagnostic Tool-Provisional (DTT-Pro) administered by general practitioners at the time of admission and one week later, in order to determine changes in clinical manifestations. Each item is scored on a Likert scale ranging from zero (maximum severity) to three (no abnormality), with nine being the highest possible score and zero the lowest possible score. The recommended cut-off score is ≤6 for delirium and ≤7 to also identify patients with subsyndromic delirium.

Presence of delirium according DSM-5 criteria

Psychiatrists will assess for the presence of delirium according to the DSM-5 criteria at the time of admission and one week later, in order to determine whether the diagnosis still applies after one week.

Psychopharmacological treatment during the first week

We will record whether the individual has been prescribed any of the following types of medication: antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, anticholinergics, opioids and antidepressants. We will note whether these were prescribed on admission, during the follow-up period or at the end of the follow-up period. We will record the generic name and daily dose of each medication, in accordance with the internationally accepted units of measurement for each medication.

Changes in functional independence in activities of daily living

Functional independence in activities of daily living will be assessed on admission and one week later, using the Barthel Index. The Barthel Index uses a rating scale to score performance across 10 aspects, with total scores ranging from 0 to 100. A higher score indicates greater independence.

Change in fall risk

The fall risk will be assessed on admission and one week later using the Tinetti test, which has a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 28 (the lower the score, the higher the fall risk).

Change in ability to walk unassisted

The patient's walking ability prior to the acute episode that led to admission will be assessed on admission and again one week later using the Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) scale, where a score of 5 indicates the ability to walk unaided and a score of 0 indicates an inability to walk.

Relevant clinical events

We will record clinical events such as the need for referral to A&E, death, falls, the use of physical restraints, new diagnoses or other significant occurrences. These will be recorded in free text format for subsequent classification.

Adherence to and follow-up of non-pharmacological measures

We will assess participants' ability and willingness to adhere to non-pharmacological measures, both specific cognitive ones and general ones. These will be recorded in an open-ended format for subsequent classification.