Seoul National University Bundang Hospital Develops Integrated Delirium Management Program

Integrated Program Developed, Including Medication Adjustment, Cognitive Boards, Educational Videos, and Light Therapy
"Significantly Lower Delirium Severity on Day 7 of Hospitalization"

Seoul National University Bundang Hospital announced on August 18 that the research team led by Professor Hye-Yeon Park from the Department of Psychiatry and Professor Sunwook Kim from the Department of General Internal Medicine has developed an ‘integrated delirium management program’ that brings together delirium risk medication adjustment, cognitive boards, educational videos, and morning light therapy in a single package, and has confirmed its effectiveness through application in actual hospital wards.

Delirium is an acute brain dysfunction characterized by impaired awareness of time and place, abnormal behaviors, and hallucinations. It commonly occurs in elderly inpatients and can lead to falls and a decline in physical function, ultimately affecting recovery and prognosis.

From the left, Hye-Yeon Park, Professor of Psychiatry at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, and Seonwook Kim, Professor of General Internal Medicine. Seoul National University Bundang Hospital

The research team conducted a prospective observational study on 203 inpatients in the Department of Internal Medicine wards from March 2023 to April 2025. Sixty-four patients received the integrated management program, while 139 received standard care. The severity of delirium was compared on days 1, 3, and 7 of hospitalization.

The program consisted of initial medication review and adjustment by psychiatric specialists, focusing on benzodiazepines and anticholinergic drugs that carry a high risk of delirium. It also utilized educational videos for delirium prevention and installed cognitive boards near the patients’ beds. In addition, all patients in the intervention group received daily morning light therapy. Caregivers were also encouraged to participate by supporting patients in maintaining their baseline state and orientation.

The analysis showed that the severity of delirium in the intervention group was significantly lower than in the control group on day 7 of hospitalization. In particular, the benefits of medication adjustment appeared as early as day 3 and continued through day 7. The cumulative effect was also observed: the more intervention components were applied, the greater the improvement in delirium by day 7.

The research team integrated previously separate delirium interventions and proposed a stepwise approach—prioritizing adjustment of high-risk medications at the initial stage of hospitalization and then focusing non-pharmacological interventions, such as cognitive boards and educational videos, on high-risk patients. They noted that this management model can be implemented even with limited medical staff by utilizing cognitive boards and encouraging caregiver participation.

Professor Hye-Yeon Park stated, "By combining adjustment of delirium risk medications and participation of both patients and caregivers, it is possible to present an integrated management model that can be implemented in real inpatient wards." This study was supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Patient-Centered Medical Technology Optimization Research Project and was published in the April issue of the international journal 'Aging and Geriatrics.'

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