ArticleBMJ open2016
How do doctors and nurses manage delirium in intensive care units? A qualitative study using focus groups.
Article in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessing the uncertainty of treatment outcomes in a previous systematic review of venous leg ulcer randomized controlled trials: Additional secondary analysis.Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society · 2021Pooled it
- Impact of Nurses' Knowledge, Self-Efficacy and Clinical Reasoning Competency on Difficulties in Caring for Patients With Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of clinical nursing · 2026Article
- Analysis of risk factors for subjective stress among nurses caring for patients with delirium: a cross-sectional, multicentre survey.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Barriers to nurse-led delirium management in intensive care units: an integrative systematic review using COM-B model.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Delirium Management Quality Improvement Project to Improve Awareness and Screening in a Medical ICU.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2024Article
- 'The upside-down' healthcare professional students' experiences of delirium: an all-Ireland focus group study.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Nurse anesthetists' perceptions and experiences of managing emergence delirium: A qualitative study.World journal of psychiatry · 2024Article
- Comparative Safety Analysis of Oral Antipsychotics for In-Hospital Adverse Clinical Events in Older Adults After Major Surgery : A Nationwide Cohort Study.Annals of internal medicine · 2023Article
- Delirium in a surgical context from a nursing perspective: A hybrid concept analysis.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2022Article
- Restraining patients in acute care hospitals-A qualitative study on the experiences of healthcare staff.Nursing open · 2022Article
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- The Effects of a Delirium Notification Program on the Clinical Outcomes of the Intensive Care Unit: A Preliminary Pilot Study.Acute and critical care · 2018Article
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe aim of this study was to explore the experiences of doctors and nurses caring for patients with delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU) and to describe the process of delirium management.
settingThis study was performed in 5 ICUs located within 4 hospitals in Madrid (Spain).
participantsPurposeful sampling was performed which included (1) doctors and nurses working in ICUs, (2) with >1 year experience in the ICU and (3) clinical experience with delirium. 38 professionals participated (19 doctors, 19 nurses), including 22 women and 16 men. The total mean age was 39 years.
designA qualitative study using focus groups.
methods7 focus groups were held to collect data: 3 nurse focus groups, 3 doctor focus groups and 1 mixed focus group. Each group comprised 6-10 participants. A semistructured questions guide was used. Thematic analysis methods were used to analyse the data.
results3 themes were identified: (1) the professional perspective on delirium; (2) implementing pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment for delirium and (3) work organisation in the ICU. The professionals regarded patients with delirium with uncertainty, and felt they were often underdiagnosed and poorly managed. Doctors displayed discrepancies regarding pharmacological prescriptions and decision-making. The choice of medication was determined by experience. Nurses felt that, for many doctors, delirium was not considered a matter of urgency in the ICU. Nurses encountered difficulties when applying verbal restraint, managing sleep disorders and providing early mobilisation. The lack of a delirium protocol generates conflicts regarding what type of care management to apply, especially during the night shift. A degree of group pressure exists which, in turn, influences the decision-making process and patient care.
conclusionsPatients with delirium represent complex cases, requiring the implementation of specific protocols. These results serve to improve the process of care in patients with delirium.
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