Abstract
Background: Delirium is a serious issue with potentially devastating health outcomes for the vulnerable older adult. Furthermore, whilst it is the most common complication of an older adult's hospitalised stay delirium is often under-recognised which results in undesirable outcomes.
Aim and Research Question: The aim of this study was to explore the prevention and early detection of delirium in hospitalised older adults. Therefore, this led to the framing and development of the research question: what are the insights and experiences of nurses working in the acute hospital setting in relation to the prevention and early detection of delirium in the older adult?
Method: This dissertation is a qualitative study with eight registered nurses who have experienced working in the acute medical and surgical setting in a small local secondary care hospital. A qualitative inquiry design using focus group interviews as the method of qualitative data collection was conducted to explore these nurses' responses. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data which generated four major themes.
Findings: The first theme was Identifying Delirium in Older Adults which related to the participant's experiences of delirium in the older adult and their definition of delirium - based on their experience. The second theme was Staffing and Workload Challenges, followed by the third theme of Clinical Judgement. The final theme was professional and Emotional Impact, and this related to the emotional and professional impact of nurse's experiences attempting to deliver optimal delirium prevention and management.
Conclusion: This study will inform the future planning of delirium guidelines and the development of policies, all which aim to reduce the incidence of delirium or new incidence of delirium in the hospital setting and to add a New Zealand (NZ) perspective.