Critical care nursing and delirium management in the mentally ill client

The critical care environment is an experience of stress for the patient and the practitioner. Turbulence can occur during the critical care course, which can cause exacerbation of chronic conditions. These exacerbations can lead to delirium and/or psychosis. Nursing professionals must be alert to changes in all conditions which increase morbidity and mortality in the critical care patient. Although critical care nurses may feel unable to care for the psychiatric needs of clients with a chronic mental disorder, implementing tools to aid in assessment will empower the nurses. Truly, the key to viewing all clients is wholly, rather than by diagnosis. Critical care nurses care for clients with many comorbidities and illnesses. Many conditions may be a new experience. Mental disorders should not be viewed as being out of the scope of the critical care nurse. On the contrary, mental disorders are chronic conditions, not unlike diabetes mellitus or congestive heart failure. What the critical care nurse needs is a knowledge base in order to feel more comfortable in caring for these clients. Knowledge is empowerment.