Trends in Delirium and New Antipsychotic and Benzodiazepine Use Among Hospitalized Older Adults Before and After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In this repeated cross-sectional study of hospitalized older adults, there was a temporal association between COVID-19 pandemic onset and significant increases in rates of delirium in the hospital and new antipsychotic and benzodiazepine prescriptions after hospital discharge. Rates remained elevated over 2 years. Pandemic-related changes such as visitor restrictions, staff shortages, isolation practices, and reduced staff time at the bedside may have contributed to these trends.