RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 16 Delirium care of hospice patients: a qualitative interview study with staff and volunteers JF BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care JO BMJ Support Palliat Care FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group SP 365 OP 366 DO 10.1136/bmjspcare-2018-mariecurie.16 VO 8 IS 3 A1 Imogen Featherstone A1 Miriam Johnson A1 Lesley Jones A1 Eleonora Coppo A1 Annmarie Hosie A1 Shirley H Bush A1 Najma Siddiqi A1 Johanna Taylor A1 Andrew Teodorczuk YR 2018 UL http://spcare.bmj.com/content/8/3/365.3.abstract AB Introduction Delirium is a distressing condition which is commonly experienced by hospice patients. Although delirium can be prevented by around one-third in hospital inpatients (Siddiqi et al. 2016) there has been little research into effective strategies to prevent and manage delirium in hospices. Greater insight into the current practice attitudes and understanding of hospice staff and volunteers would inform the development of interventions that are tailored to improve delirium care in hospices.Aim To explore the understanding attitudes and practice of hospice staff and volunteers regarding the care of patients with delirium.Methods 36 qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted at two hospices. Participants were purposively sampled to include different disciplines (9 health care assistants, 8 nurses, 5 doctors, 4 volunteers, 3 board members, 2 allied health professionals, 2 managers, 2 domestic workers and 2 fundraisers). A topic guide and case vignettes prompted participants to describe their experiences in relation to delirium prevention recognition assessment and management. Three researchers are conducting thematic analysis to identify analyse and interpret themes from the interview data.Results Provisional results include themes of: ‘Supporting the distressing experience of delirium’; ‘Management strategies’ and ‘The burden of delirium care.’ Gaps in current practice relate to delirium prevention recognition and screening. Potential facilitators for developing interventions in hospices include education flexibility in staffing the role of volunteers and a supportive staff culture.Conclusion This study will provide important insights into staff and volunteers’ current practice which will inform the development of a targeted intervention to improve delirium care in hospices.Reference. Siddiqi N, Harrison J, Clegg A, Teale E, Young J, Taylor J, Simpkins S. Interventions for preventing delirium in hospitalised non-ICU patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews2016;(3). Art. No.: CD005563. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005563.pub3