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American Journal of Critical Care. 2008;17: 555-565
Copyright © 2008 by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
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CE Article

Assessment of Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit: Nursing Practices And Perceptions

By John W. Devlin, PharmD, BCPS, Jeffrey J. Fong, PharmD, BCPS, Elizabeth P. Howard, RN, PhD, ACNP, Yoanna Skrobik, MD, Nina McCoy, RN, Cyndi Yasuda, MSN, CCRN and John Marshall, PharmD. John W. Devlin is an associate professor and Jeffrey J. Fong is a critical care pharmacy fellow at Northeastern University School of Pharmacy, Boston, Massachusetts. Elizabeth P. Howard is an associate professor and Nina McCoy is a registered nurse and a CRNA student at Northeastern University School of Nursing, Boston, Massachusetts. Yoanna Skrobik is an intensivist at Maisoneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Cyndi Yasuda is a critical care nurse educator at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. John Marshall is a critical care pharmacist at Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.

Corresponding author: John W. Devlin, PharmD, BCPS, FCCM, FCCP, Northeastern University School of Pharmacy, Mugar #206, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (e-mail: j.devlin{at}neu.edu).

Background Despite practice guidelines promoting delirium assessment in intensive care, few data exist regarding current delirium assessment practices among nurses and how these practices compare with those for sedation assessment.

Objectives To identify current practices and perceptions of intensive care nurses regarding delirium assessment and to compare practices for assessing delirium with practices for assessing sedation.

Methods A paper/Web-based survey was administered to 601 staff nurses working in 16 intensive care units at 5 acute care hospitals with sedation guidelines specifying delirium assessment in the Boston, Massachusetts area.

Results Overall, 331 nurses (55%) responded. Only 3% ranked delirium as the most important condition to evaluate, compared with altered level of consciousness (44%), presence of pain (23%), or improper placement of an invasive device (21%). Delirium assessment was less common than sedation assessment (47% vs 98%, P < .001) and was more common among nurses who worked in medical intensive care units (55% vs 40%, P = .03) and at academic centers (53% vs 13%, P < .001). Preferred methods for assessing delirium included assessing ability to follow commands (78%), checking for agitation-related events (71%), the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (36%), the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (11%), and psychiatric consultation (9%). Barriers to assessment included intubation (38%), complexity of the tool for assessing delirium (34%), and sedation level (13%).

Conclusions Practice and perceptions of delirium assessment vary widely among critical care nurses despite the presence of institutional sedation guidelines that promote delirium assessment.

Notice to CE enrollees:
A closed-book, multiple-choice examination following this article tests your understanding of the following objectives:
  1. Characterize the signs and symptoms of delirium.
  2. Identify the importance of assessing ICU patients for the presence of delirium.
  3. Discuss the challenges associated with evaluation of delirium in ICU patients.
To read this article and take the CE test online, visit www.ajcconline.org and click "CE Articles in This Issue." No CE test fee for AACN members.


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Copyright © 2008 by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.