Nurses ’ experiences of caring for older patients afflicted by delirium in a neurological department

ConclusionsNurses experienced a relationship with patients with delirium that was influenced by a lack of knowledge about communication with such patients. This resulted in a lack of person ‐centred care and knowledge about the patient's habitual condition and life story; hence, nurses did not discover the patient's initial delirium. Inadequate and unstructured documentation did the nursing effort initiated late so the patient's delirium was developing. Uncertainty caused lack of dia logue between nurses, which afflicted the partnership and relation between the patient and the nurse. A fast pace workload affected relationships, knowledge, documentation and collaboration. Thus, the person‐centred approach to the patient was challenged, which made the provision of professional n ursing care difficult.Relevance to clinical practiceA continuous focus on patients with delirium, as well as specialised care, based on factual knowledge about delirium is necessary. Hence, communication skills are required to accommodate this group of patients and their need for care.

Source: Journal of Clinical Nursing - November 22, 2018 Category: Nursing Authors: Susanne Kristiansen, Hanne Konradsen, Malene Beck Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research