A critical appraisal of delirium clinical practice guidelines relevant to the care of older adults in the emergency department with a synthesis of recommendations: an umbrella review protocol.

Background: Up to 35% of older adults present to the emergency department (ED) with delirium or develop the condition during their ED stay. Delirium associated with an ED visit is independently linked to poorer outcomes such as loss of independence, increased length of hospital stay, and mortality. Improving the quality of delirium care for older ED patients is hindered by a lack of knowledge and standards to guide best practice. High-quality clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have the power to translate the complexity of scientific evidence into recommendations to improve and standardize practice. This study will identify and synthesize recommendations from high-quality delirium CPGs relevant to the care of older ED patients.

Methods: We will conduct a multi-phase umbrella review to retrieve relevant CPGs. Quality of the CPGs and their recommendations will be critically appraised using the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research, and Evaluation (AGREE)-II; and Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation - Recommendations Excellence (AGREE-REX) instruments, respectively. We will also synthesize and conduct a narrative analysis of high-quality CPG recommendations.

Discussion: This review will be the first known evidence synthesis of delirium CPGs including a critical appraisal and synthesis of recommendations. Recommendations will be categorized according to target population and setting as a means to define the bredth of knowledge in this area. Future research will use consensus building methods to identify which are most relevant to older ED patients.

Trial Registration: This study has been registered in the Open Science Framework registries: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/TG7S6 .