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BMJ OpenResearch HighlightsOpen Access

Exploring the association between medication, patient-specific factors and delirium in hospitalised patients: a 10-year retrospective, population-based cohort study in Iceland

26 May 20264 min read0 viewsJournal Feed

GIST

Objectives This study aimed to identify potential significant statistical associations between the development of delirium, medication and several other patient-specific factors across a 10-year retrospective longitudinal real-world dataset. Design A retrospective, population-based cohort study.

Setting The National University Hospital of Iceland. Participants All patients≥18 years hospitalised between 2010 and 2020.

Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was a diagnosis of delirium within 2 years of a patient filling a prescription for a specific medication. The exposure was pre-admission medication use or a pre-existing condition.

Secondary outcomes included mortality, length of hospital stay, readmission rate and frequency of additional delirium diagnosis. Results A total of 85 942 admissions and readmissions were included in the dataset, which comprised 1066 variables.

The cohort comprised 55 495 patients (51.5% male) with a median [IQR] age of 71 years [58, 82]. Throughout the study, 3533 patients were diagnosed with delirium at least once over the 10-year study period.

Clinical Editorial

Summary

BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 26 May 2026.

The item focuses on Exploring the association between medication, patient-specific factors and delirium in hospitalised patients: a 10-year retrospective, population-based cohort study in Iceland.

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