Intensive care nurses' opinions and current practice in relation to delirium in the intensive care setting

Delirium is a frequently encountered syndrome that negatively impacts on the well-being of the critically ill patient. Although international guidelines promote delirium monitoring, little is known regarding Irish intensive care (ICU) nurses' opinions and current practice in relation to delirium monitoring.

To ascertain ICU nurses' opinions on delirium among the critically ill and establish if delirium monitoring is part of current practice in the Republic of Ireland.

A descriptive quantitative survey design was employed, utilising a self-report questionnaire. Participants were registered nurses selected using convenience sampling from two of the largest and leading teaching hospitals in the Republic of Ireland. The overall response rate was 70% (n=151/216).

The majority of participants 143 (95%) recognised delirium as a serious problem and 93% considered delirium to be an under-diagnosed syndrome that requires active medical intervention. Only 17.9% reported screening for delirium and 4% ranked delirium important to monitor in the ICU setting. The majority of participants never attended a lecture (79%) or read an article (68%) pertaining to delirium.

The findings provide further evidence of the theory practice gap that is likely to exist internationally in settings where best practice guidelines on the management of delirium in the ICU setting are not implemented.