Delirium recall - an integrative review

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Psychiatry
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Delirium is a prevalent and expensive condition in hospitalized patients.
• Existing research primarily addresses delirium detection, risk factors, causes, and treatments.
• The patient's subjective experience and recall of delirium remain under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize empirical literature on patient recall of delirium episodes.
• To identify directions for future research on delirium recall.

Main Methods:

• An integrative review methodology was employed.
• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across major databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO).
• 12 selected English-language studies published between 1980 and 2014 were analyzed.

Main Results:

• The majority of patients recalled their delirium episodes.
• Recalled experiences frequently included perceptual disturbances and significant psychological distress.
• Qualitative themes identified included incomprehensible experiences, intense emotions, and fear.

Conclusions:

• Delirium recall is a common and distressing phenomenon that requires further investigation.
• Future research should utilize standardized delirium detection tools and systematically examine predictors of recall.
• Understanding delirium recall can inform nursing interventions to reduce psychological distress and improve patient care.