# Engaging Hospitalized Patients and Family Caregivers to Identify and Prevent Delirium Superimposed on Dementia: An Intervention Mapping Approach.

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2024 · $172,476

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This career development proposal will provide Blair Golden, MD MS, a physician-scientist at The University of
Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, with the training required for success as an
independent investigator researching interventions to improve the delivery of patient- and family-centered care
for hospitalized adults with Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD).
Nearly half of all hospitalized patients with AD/ADRD develop delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD),
which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. DSD also leads to adverse impacts for family
caregivers, compounding pre-existing caregiver stresses and negative impacts on wellbeing. Despite its
substantial burden, DSD remains under-detected and poorly managed in hospitalized patients due in part to
under-developed approaches for assessing pre-existing impairment and other individual characteristics that
are critical to delivering tailored prevention strategies. Evidence-based programs for delirium have emphasized
the role of family engagement in recognition and management, but approaches to proactively engaging family
members and patients with AD/ADRD in DSD detection and prevention remain underdeveloped. The
overarching goal of this K23 proposal is to establish patient and family caregiver-centered communication and
engagement practices capable of proactively addressing information needs and soliciting participation in DSD
identification and prevention that are feasible and scalable. Understanding family and patient communication
and information needs regarding DSD could not only improve the delivery of patient and family-centered care,
but also potentially reduce family and patient suffering and improve DSD identification and prevention. As a
junior faculty member at an institution with extensive infrastructure to support early-stage investigators, Dr.
Golden is in an optimal environment to complete the proposed research project and pursue advanced training.
Her career development plan includes formal coursework, intensive mentorship, and experiential training in 1)
mixed methods, survey, and intervention mapping approaches 2) delirium assessment and prevention 3)
research engagement and clinical care of patients with AD/ADRD and 4) pragmatic clinical trial design. To
ensure success, she has identified expert mentors in these disciplines with outstanding track records in training
independent investigators and secured protected time for this work. This award addresses a significant clinical
dilemma and serious gap in AD/ADRD and delirium research while affording the education and mentored
research experience critical to prepare Dr. Golden to lead an independent research program.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10861041
- **Project number:** 5K23AG081458-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Blair Pollitt Golden
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $172,476
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-06-15 → 2028-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10861041

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10861041, Engaging Hospitalized Patients and Family Caregivers to Identify and Prevent Delirium Superimposed on Dementia: An Intervention Mapping Approach. (5K23AG081458-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10861041. Licensed CC0.

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