The Delirium Objective structured clinical examination Education (DOE) Pilot Study: implementation of the delirium OSCE education package within hospital education for registered healthcare professionals.

Objectives To evaluate an interactive delirium educational intervention on confidence and competence in delirium assessment tools and delirium knowledge; delirium knowledge scores; clinical practice; planned practice change and perceived usefulness of the education. Methods We conducted a quasi-experimental pilot study, with qualitative follow-up, at two metropolitan hospital sites in Australia. Participants were active registered healthcare practitioners. Survey data were collected pre (T0) and six weeks after the educational intervention (T1). Scores were derived from the seven-item OSCE marking rubric (maximum 15). At T1, observations of delirium care in practice were undertaken using a 10-item (maximum 12) tool. Results There was a significant increase in perceptions of confidence and competence in using delirium assessment tools and knowledge (p<0.001). Delirium knowledge scores improved significantly from 13.6 (SD 1.7) at baseline to 14.6 (SD 1.1) at T1(p<0.001). The high level of competency in delirium care demonstrated and gained during the OSCE (88.7%, SD 0.1) was translated and maintained into clinical practice (81.5%, SD 0.1) (p=0.07). Open-ended survey responses generated three themes: (1) Assess for Delirium, (2) The usefulness of The Delirium OSCE Package and, (3) A need for ongoing education on delirium care. Conclusion This study generated evidence on integrating The Delirium OSCE Education Package in other clinical settings and private hospital sites. Following this pilot study, a RCT was designed using the tools and methods developed to evaluate the effectiveness of The Delirium OSCE Education Package against conventional professional development education.