Abstract: World Journal of Medicine and Health Care

Abstract:
Delirium is the most common complication after major surgeries, with incidence rates ranging from 50% to 87%. Fortunately, postoperative delirium is preventable in up to 50% of patients, with the best preventive strategy being non-pharmacological interventions. However, these therapeutic approaches often face scalability challenges due to the complexity and high variability of their delivery, low patient engagement, and the existing clinical workforce constraints in the hospital setting. Cognitive stimulation is a non- pharmacological intervention with the potential to overcome the scalability and sustainability challenges of other non-pharmacological approaches, but evidence supporting its use is limited, especially in older adults at high risk for delirium. This narrative literature review examines evidence-based cognitive stimulation techniques being used as a non-pharmacological approach to prevent delirium in hospital settings.