Delirium Research Priorities

Help us Decide the Future of Delirium Research

Delirium is serious and distressing condition, but there is limited research on delirium care. We need your help to decide what questions should be answered by research to improve the care we provide for people with delirium.


This project is a partnership between patients, carers, and clinicians, who are working together to identify the questions about delirium that are most important for research to answer. This research is facilitated by James Lind Alliance (JLA). 

Delirium is: 

  • a sudden change to a person’s mental state that can be related to the effects of illness, injury, having surgery, medicines, or withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. 
  • a medical condition, which is often not recognised and needs urgent medical care. 
  • a temporary condition that develops quickly over hours or days but can last a few days or weeks.  
  • different from dementia which occurs more gradually and for a longer time, but both can happen at the same time.   
  • more common in older people and people living with dementia but can affect anyone. 

  

People with delirium can find it hard to:  

  • deal with the symptoms, such as seeing or hearing things that are not there. 
  • trust the people caring for them. 
  • manage emotions.   
  • communicate their needs.   
  • make decisions.   
  • care for themselves. 


Delirium can be frightening. It can lead to slower recovery from illness, and longer hospital stays. 

Why is this study important? 

By understanding what people think are the most important topics to address for delirium research, we can focus our efforts on producing meaningful improvements. 

Who should take part in this study? 

  • People who have had delirium. 
  • People who have cared for someone with delirium, e.g.  family members 
  • People with health conditions that increase the risk of delirium (e.g. people living with frailty or dementia, cancer), and their carers or family members.
  • Healthcare staff caring for people with or at risk of delirium (e.g. doctors, nurses, allied health professionals)


You must live in Australia or New Zealand and be aged 18 years or older to take part in this questionnaire. 

How can I take part in the study? 

This study has three stages:


Stage One – Question Collection (Closed):

We recently invited people to share the questions they have about delirium. This stage is now closed, and we are currently reviewing and analysing the responses. 


Stage Two – Prioritisation Survey (Upcoming):

We will soon be inviting people to help prioritise the most important questions about delirium through our second survey. This survey is scheduled to launch in October, so stay tuned for your chance to contribute to shaping future delirium research priorities.


Stage Three – Final Workshop (Upcoming):

After the second survey closes, we will host a workshop to collaboratively identify the top 10 research priorities in delirium, guided by the survey results

Who is supporting this study? 

This study has been approved by Metro North Hospital and Health Service and the University of Technology Sydney.  This survey is being carried out in collaboration with the James Lind Alliance, a UK-based, non-profit initiative, which works with partners to facilitate the setting of health research priorities.


This study has been approved by the Metro North Health HREC (EC00172), HREC reference number HREC/2024/MNHA/110598. For more information about your rights as a participant, or should you wish to make an independent complaint, you may contact the Coordinator or Chairperson, Human Research Ethics Committee, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, Herston, Qld, 4029 or telephone (07) 3646 5280, email: MetroNorthResearch-Ethics@health.qld.gov.au.You may also contact the Metro North Health Research Governance Manager by telephone: 07 36479550 or email: MetroNorthResearch-RGO@health.qld.gov.au

Who can I contact for more information?

If you need more information or if you would like a paper survey, please contact: 


Liliana Botero 

Project Coordinator, 

Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital 

liliana.boterozapata@health.qld.gov.au 


Professor Alison Mudge

Project Lead, 

Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital 

Alison.Mudge@health.qld.gov.au