The journal's April edition focuses on acute confusion and includes articles examining the state of scientific knowledge and special topics related to the problem. According to a feature article in the journal, studies show acute confusion, or delirium, affects anywhere from 14 to 80 percent of hospitalized elderly patients and about 40 percent of nursing home residents.
Symptoms can include cognitive impairment, hallucinations, wandering, apathy and lethargy.
The condition often complicates other illnesses and is a particular challenge to nurses working with individuals suffering from it. Toni Tripp-Reimer, Ph.D., professor and associate dean for research in the UI College of Nursing, served as guest editor of the special issue. The articles featured in this issue resulted from a series of collaborative studies funded by the Veterans Health Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the UI's Obermann Center for Advanced Studies. The federally funded Gerontological Nursing Interventions Research Center and the recently established Iowa Hartford Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence specialize in supporting research and disseminating knowledge about the best nursing practices for older adults.