Projects
Projects
DeliA - Delirium in geriatric care facilities
Project veResponsible for the project: Prof Dr Rebecca Palm
Project participants: Dr Bernhard Holle (DZNE Witten), Prof Dr Horst Christian Vollmar (RUB), Prof Dr Petra Thürmann (UW/H)
Project staff: Johanna Seiters, Vincent Molitor
Funding: Third-party funder (funding amount): Joint Federal Committee (Innovation Committee) (€ 1.4 million)
Project duration: 2022-2025
Website: https://delia.info/
Brief summary
The DeliA project is researching the topic of delirium in geriatric care facilities. The consortium project is being carried out jointly with the University of Witten/Herdecke, the Department of General Medicine at Ruhr University Bochum and the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Witten.
The project is divided into five sub-studies:
Systematic review on the prevalence of delirium in geriatric care facilities (DZNE Witten)
Review of educational interventions on delirium in geriatric care facilities (UW/H Department of Nursing Science)
Prevalence study on delirium in geriatric care facilities (DZNE Witten)
Qualitative study on current care practice (RUB)
Development and testing of an educational intervention (online training) on the topic of delirium in geriatric care facilities (UOL)
Literature study on the "Delirium" expert standard
Project leader: Prof Rebecca Palm
Project team members: Jasmin Helbach, Vincent Molitor
Funding: Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences
Project duration: 2025-2027
Brief summary:
Under the scientific direction of Prof Rebecca Palm, the expert standard "Delirium" is being developed in co-operation with Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. The expert standards in nursing care are coordinated and published by the German Network for Quality Development in Nursing. The team at the University of Oldenburg is compiling a cross-sectoral literature study on delirium management in care based on the steps of the care process. On this basis, a group of fifteen experts develops annotated quality criteria, which are then discussed and agreed at an interprofessional consensus conference.
DelGeriK
Delirium in geriatric conservative high-risk patients in hospital
Project leader:
Prof Rebecca Palm
Project staff:
Julian Seidel, Thea Laurentius, Clara Wasylow, Nicole Feldmann
Cooperation partners:
Klinikum Oldenburg AöR , Pius-Hospital Oldenburg
Project duration:
2026-2027
Brief summary
Under the scientific direction of Prof Rebecca Palm, the DelGeriK project is investigating the occurrence and recognition of delirium in high-risk geriatric patients in two Oldenburg hospitals. The multi-centre prospective cohort study records the prevalence and incidence of delirium using validated instruments as well as subsequent care processes such as readmissions.
The aim of the project is also to identify associated factors of delirium, to visualise differences between care contexts and to create a basis for improved care in dealing with delirium. The results should contribute to the optimisation of delirium diagnostics and prevention in the future.
Scope of practice of advanced practice nurses for high-risk geriatric patients in an acute conservative clinical setting
A scoping review
Project leader:
Prof Rebecca Palm
Project team members:
Julian Seidel, Johannes Schnatow
Project duration:
2025-2026
Brief summary
Under the scientific direction of Prof Rebecca Palm, this project examines the international state of research on the scope of practice (SOP) of advanced practice nurses (APN) in the care of high-risk geriatric patientsin acute conservative hospital settings. These include patientsover the age of 65 who are characterised by multimorbidity, frailty and an increased risk of complications such as delirium, falls and prolonged hospital stays.
The scoping review follows the methodological guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and the PRISMA-ScR statement and includes a systematic search in international specialist databases as well as the analysis of regulatory frameworks from professional societies, professional associations and state institutions. The aim is to identify the roles, tasks, competences and legal requirements of APNs that are already being used successfully in acute geriatric care in other countries.
The results should create a sound basis for the development of a role and competence profile for geriatric advanced practice nurses in German and critically examine the transferability of international concepts to everyday clinical practice in Germany. The project thus makes a valuable contribution to the further development of nursing roles in the context of demographic change and the growing number of geriatric patients with complex care needs.