Trial reportJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2016
Effect of Cognitively Stimulating Activities on Symptom Management of Delirium Superimposed on Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Delirium superimposed on dementia in post-acute care: Nurse documentation of symptoms and interventions.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)Trial
- Knowledge translation for delirium superimposed on dementia care: a realist review.The Gerontologist · 2026Review
- Cognitive Stimulation in Older Adults with Dementia: A Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Innovation in delirium care: A standardized intervention to reverse inattention using touch and movement.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2025Article
- Advancing Delirium Treatment Trials in Older Adults: Recommendations for Future Trials From the Network for Investigation of Delirium: Unifying Scientists (NIDUS).Critical care medicine · 2025Article
- The Relationship between Delirium and Dementia.Seminars in neurology · 2024Review
- Delirium screening in the emergency department: evaluation and intervention.Israel journal of health policy research · 2024Article
- Cognitive stimulation to improve cognitive functioning in people with dementia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Review
- Perioperative neurocognitive disorders: A narrative review focusing on diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2022Review
- Current Challenges in the Recognition and Management of Delirium Superimposed on Dementia.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2021Review
- Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission.Lancet (London, England) · 2020Review
- Public Knowledge about Dementia in China: A National WeChat-Based Survey.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
- Readiness assessment for pragmatic trials (RAPT): a model to assess the readiness of an intervention for testing in a pragmatic trial.BMC medical research methodology · 2019Article
- Review
- The Search for Effective Delirium Treatment for Persons with Dementia in the Postacute-Care Setting.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo determine whether cognitively stimulating activities would reduce duration and severity of delirium and improve cognitive and physical function to a greater extent than usual care.
designSingle-blind randomized clinical trial.
settingEight post-acute care (PAC) facilities.
participantsCommunity-dwelling older adults with dementia and delirium (N = 283).
interventionResearch staff provided cognitively stimulating activities daily for up to 30 days. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcomes were delirium duration (Confusion Assessment Method) and delirium severity (Delirium Rating Scale). Secondary outcomes were cognitive function (Digits Forward, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, CLOX) and physical function (Barthel Index).
resultsMean percentage of delirium-free days (intervention: 64.8%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 59.6-70.1; control: 68.7%, 95% CI = 63.9-73.6; P = .37, Wilcoxon rank sum test) and delirium severity (range 0-39: intervention: 10.77, 95% CI = 10.10-11.45; control: 11.15, 95% CI = 10.50-11.80; difference 0.37, 95% CI = 0.56-1.31, P = .43) were similar in both groups. Significant differences for secondary outcomes favoring intervention were found (executive function (range 0-15): intervention: 6.58, 95% CI = 6.12-7.04; control: 5.89, 95% CI = 5.45-6.33; difference -0.69, 95% CI = 1.33 to -0.06, P = .03; constructional praxis (range 0-15): intervention: 8.84, 95% CI = 8.83-9.34; control: 7.53, 95% CI = 7.04-8.01; difference -1.31, 95% CI = 2.01 to -0.61, P < .001). After adjusting for baseline constructional praxis, the group comparison was no longer significant. Average length of stay was shorter in the intervention (36.09 days) than the control (53.13 days) group (standard error = 0.15, P = .01, negative binomial regression).
conclusionCognitively stimulating activities did not improve delirium but improved executive function and reduced length of stay. Resolution of delirium may require more-intense nonpharmacological management when the individual has dementia.
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