ObjectivesTo systematically review the clinical efficacy and safety of antipsychotics for delirium. MethodsDatabases including The Cochrane Library (Issue 5, 2015), PubMed, MEDLINE, EMbase, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were electronically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about antipsychotics compared with placebo/blank for delirium from inception to May 2015. We also hand-searched related conference proceedings and references of included studies for additional studies. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMen 5.3 software. ResultsA total of 7 RCTs involving 712 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that there were no significant differences between the antipsychotics group and the placebo/blank group in mortality (RR=1.00, 95%CI 0.90 to 1.10, P=0.99), duration of delirium (MD=-1.53, 95%CI -4.95 to 1.89, P=0.38), length of stay (MD=-0.89, 95%CI -7.69 to 5.90, P=0.80), and ICU stay time (MD=-3.70, 95%CI -15.83 to 8.43, P=0.55). Compared with the placebo/ blank group, the antipsychotics could reduce the severity of delirium (SMD=-1.62, 95%CI -2.32 to -0.93, P<0.000 01). ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that the efficacy of antipsychotics in the treatment of delirium is not clear. Due to the limited quantity and quality of the included studies, the above conclusion needs to be further verified by more high quality studies.