During the 2-year study period, 60,151 admissions occurred in 45,266 unique nonpsychiatric patients. After adjusting for comorbid conditions, age, sex, intensive care unit status, and length of hospitalization, contact precautions were significantly associated with delirium (75% increased odds of delirium). The association between contact precautions and delirium was seen only in patients who were newly placed under contact precautions during the course of their hospitalization.
A major study limitation was that the onset of delirium in relationship to the time that contact precautions were initiated remains undefined.
Although no one has proved that contact precautions causes delirium, the association between the two appears real. This should remind us to use contact precautions judiciously and to consider proven delirium prevention strategies on isolated patients.
