Clinical Pearls
Delirium in Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Michelle Weckmann, MD MS FAAHPM
Delirium is common in the patients we care for. It is distressing to everyone involved (patients, families, healthcare providers, etc.), and it is the most common reason palliative sedation is requested.1 It is important to remember that delirium can be reversed even in patients in the last few weeks and days of life, and, even when it can’t be reversed, distressing symptoms can be effectively managed.2,3,4