Nursing Insights on Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit

Delirium is a common complication of critical illness. As frontline providers, nurses (registered nurses) are uniquely positioned to inform interventions to improve intensive care unit (ICU) patient outcomes. This article reports a study of attitudes and knowledge about ICU delirium assessment at an urban academic medical center. Findings suggest a knowledge deficit regarding the spectrum of delirium. ICU nurses also identified that a lack of effective collaboration within the treatment team was the biggest barrier to effective care for the patient with hypoactive delirium. The study findings indicate that both educational and management initiatives are needed to improve clinical practices for patients with manifestations of hypoactive and hyperactive delirium.