The Challenge
A patient with a hearing impairment and a diagnosis of delirium, including paranoia, became increasingly distressed on an Older People's ward.
The Change
I sat with the patient communicating via a whiteboard and used this to get to know what matters to him to deescalate his distress and offered for him to phone his family.
The Impact
He became more comfortable and told me about his hobbies. He was then accepting of needing to be in hospital despite being keen to get home. Ward staff knew to use written communicate which facilitated inclusion and reduced risk of further distress.
