Evaluation of Intensive Care Nurses’ Knowledge and Approaches about Delirium: A Qualitative Study

Objective: This qualitative study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge and approaches of intensive care nurses to delirium.Materials and Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 15 nurses working in the internal medicine, surgery, neurology and coronary intensive care units. Data were collected through Google Form by preparing a semi-structured interview form between April 15 and June 30, 2019. The content analysis method was used in the analysis of the data. Results: The mean age of the nurses is 37.73 +/- 9.43, and all of them are women. Of them, 40% worked in surgery, 26.7% in coronary, 20% in internal medicine, and 13.3% in neurology intensive care. The average of working years in the profession is 17.27 +/- 10.40 and the average of working years in intensive care is 8.20 +/- 7.42. All of them provided care to the patients with delirium, but only 33.3% received training on delirium. Five main themes are obtained from the content analysis: defining delirium, managing delirium, problems in care, experiencing physical and mental problems, and lack of knowledge and skills. Conclusion: It has been determined that nurses in intensive care need knowledge about delirium. It is recommended to plan regular training on delirium for intensive care nurses.