Research shows about one in four adults become delirious during a hospital admission. That’s about 500,000 Canadians a year. Age is a risk factor, as delirium presents in about half of hospitalized patients ages 65 and older.
That information could be reassuring or terrifying, but for now it’s a potential tool to speed drug development by helping to identify and enroll high-risk people into studies of possible Alzheimer’s treatments or preventive strategies.
A patient was prescribed 1 mg of hydromorphone at home. Instead, they received four 10 mg injections. By the time the mistake was caught, it was too late.
