Life In The Slower Lane

Here is the standardised PICO analysis for the eighteenth uploaded article:

---

Full Title

How and why educational interventions work to increase knowledge of delirium among healthcare professionals in nursing homes: a protocol for a realist review

Authors: Vincent Molitor, Theresa Sophie Busse, Chantal Giehl, et al.

Journal: BMJ Open, 2023; 13:e072591

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072591

Type of Study

Protocol for a realist review (not a completed review)

---

PICO Summary

Population (P)

• Healthcare professionals (HCPs) in nursing homes, including:
  • Nurses
  • Assistants
  • General practitioners or physicians conducting home visits
• Context: HCPs providing 24-hour care for older adults at high risk of delirium

Intervention (I)

• Educational interventions aimed at:
  • Increasing delirium-specific knowledge
  • Supporting prevention, recognition, and management of delirium in nursing home settings
  • Example approaches:
    • Online modules (Technology-Enhanced Learning, TEL)
    • Staff training sessions
    • Champion models
    • Multicomponent learning tools tailored to context

Comparison (C)

• Not applicable for this protocol, as it does not include empirical outcomes or comparisons
• However, the review will indirectly contrast educational approaches to identify Context–Mechanism–Outcome (CMO) configurations

Outcomes (O)

Planned outcomes to be identified and synthesised in the review include:

• Contextual enablers and barriers to learning (e.g. workload, staffing levels, baseline knowledge)
• Mechanisms: Internal responses triggered by educational resources (e.g. motivation, awareness, perceived responsibility)
• Outcomes:
  • Improved delirium detection
  • Reduced episodes or improved management
  • Enhanced HCP confidence and accountability
  • Development of programme theories to inform future training

---

Findings Summary (Protocol Only)

This protocol outlines a realist review methodology to understand how, why, and under what circumstanceseducational interventions improve HCPs’ knowledge of delirium in nursing homes. The review will build CMO configurations based on existing studies and stakeholder feedback (e.g. nursing home staff). Results will inform a future technology-enhanced curriculum (TEL), part of the German-funded DeliA project. It emphasises that educational interventions are complex and need to be tailored to real-world settings. No outcomes are available yet because this is a protocol, not a completed synthesis .

---