POCUS for Delirium and Agitation: Be ABLE

About this episode

This episode discusses the recognition and management of delirium in older adults in emergency departments using point of care ultrasound.

Our population is aging, and with that comes an increase in the number of older adults in emergency departments. Delirium affects up to 1/3 older adults who present to the ED and is a medical emergency that is often overlooked by ED clinicians. In this episode of GEMCast host Dr. Christina Shenvi discusses the importance of recognising delirium, documenting it, and intervening where possible in the ED with Dr. Kayla Furlong and Dr. Gillian Sheppard. Dr. Furlong and Dr. Sheppard are both emergency medicine physicians in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, who are experts in point of care ultrasound (POCUS). Dr. Furlong is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University and is the Chair of the CAEP Geriatric EM Committee. Dr. Sheppard is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Discipline of Emergency Medicine at Memorial University. She is also a Diplomate of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada with an Area of Focused Competence in POCUS and is the education lead for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians Emergency Ultrasound Committee. They have taken a special interest in whether the use of POCUS increases the ED clinicians’…

People in this episode

Host: Christina Shenvi

Guests: Kayla Furlong, Gillian Sheppard

Topics covered

• delirium
• agitation
• emergency medicine
• point of care ultrasound
• geriatric care

Keywords

• delirium
• agitation
• emergency department
• POCUS
• geriatric emergency medicine

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Memorial University, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians

Places: St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador

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• Acute care of persons living with Dementia: From the clinic to the ED and back · March 3, 2026 · 42 min
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