Temporary confusion: a fearful experience

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nursing Science
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Older adults frequently experience acute temporary confusion during hospital admissions.
• Previous research focused on care provision, causes, and general care aspects of confusion.
• A gap exists in understanding the patient's subjective experience and reasoning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the lived experience of temporary confusion in older adults from a nursing perspective.
• To explore the reasoning processes of older adults regarding their confusional episodes.
• To gain insight into the patient's subjective reality of hospital-induced confusion.

Main Methods:

• Phenomenological research method.
• In-depth interviews with five older adults who had recovered from temporary confusion.
• Analysis of participants' descriptions of their experiences and reasoning.

Main Results:

• Identified two core phenomena: 'being temporarily confused' and 'reasoning about experiences of temporary confusion'.
• Each phenomenon comprised four interconnected constituents.
• Experiences were characterized by suffering and a power imbalance between patients and healthcare staff.

Conclusions:

• Temporary confusion in older hospitalized adults is a complex phenomenon impacting their well-being.
• Understanding patients' subjective experiences and reasoning is crucial for improving care.
• Addressing power imbalances and suffering is essential for patient-centered nursing care.