Intensivvårdssjuksköterskors uppfattning och bedömning av IVA-delirium i jämförelse med bedömning av sederingsdjup : en kvantitativ studie

Sammanfattning: Background. Patients, who are receiving life-threatening treatment at the intensive care unit (ICU), often suffer from failure in their vital organs. Supporting treatement of their organs is a important part of the work in the ICU.  An overlooked complication in these patients is cognitive failure due to critical illness, also known as ICU-delirium. Research studies show that patients with ICU-delirium have increased care time and increased mortality. Aims The aim of this study was to describe the intensive care nurse's perception of and how ICU-delirium is assessed. The aim was also to compare how often assessment of ICU-delirium occurs with the frequency of assessment of sedation depth. Results 45 intensive care nurses responded that ICU delirium requires active measures from healthcare professionals. 43 considered that ICU delirium is a common response to the environment in an intensive care unit. Some (n= 40) indicated that their department has a routine regarding sedation, but 21 states that the protocol does not specify how often ICU delirium is to be assessed. The most common method for assessing ICU delirium was to see if the patient can follow instructions (n= 19) and if the patient has an outgoing behavior (n = 10). 42 indicated that ICU delirium is an under-diagnosed problem and 40 that it is a challenge to assess the patient. The study showed a significant difference (p = .0001) between how often intensive care nurses assess sedation depth and how often ICU delirium is assessed. Conclusions. The conclusion is that sedation assessment is performed more often than assessment of ICU-delirium. More education in the subject and more in-depth research is recommended.