Experiences of Nurses Who Work in Intensive Care Units in Caring for Patients With Delirium

The present study aimed to determine the care experiences of nurses working in intensive care units with patients with delirium. The study made use of reflective thematic analysis, one of the thematic analysis approaches for qualitative data analysis. The study’s data were collected from 14 nurses using the Semi-Structured Interview Form. As a result of the analyses, 4 main themes and 18 subthemes were created. The main themes were (1) The Bell Rings: Recognizing delirium, (2) I am a captain in a stormy sea: Perceived competence in delirium assessment, (3) Nursing management: Putting the puzzle together, and (4) Thorny roads: Difficulties experienced. Most nurses might recognize the symptoms of delirium and know that delirium is a syndrome that develops in a multifactorial manner. Patients who experience delirium are recognized through observation, but a scale is not used. It is argued that creating an appropriate care environment, maintaining effective communication, and including family members in care are necessary for delirium management. The areas where nurses face the most difficulty in providing care to patients with delirium are psychological fatigue, physical load, time management, and material management.