Delirium Experience of the Intensive Care Unit Patients
- Author:
Jaeyeon JUNG
1
;
Sujin JANG
;
Seonmi JO
;
Sunhee LEE
Author Information
- Publication Type:RESEARCH PAPER
- From:Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing 2022;52(2):134-143
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Purpose:The study aimed to understand the delirium experience of intensive care unit (ICU) patients.
Methods:We performed a qualitative study using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. Eleven patients, who experienced delirium according to the Confusion Assessment Method for ICU, participated after transferring to general wards from the ICU. Individual in-depth semi-structured interviews ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours in length were conducted between November 2018 and August 2019.
Results:Nine themes and four theme clusters emerged. The four theme clusters were: 1) “Overwhelmed by fear,” which describes the experience of a patient close to death and the feeling of difficulty in understanding disorganized thinking; 2) “Anxious about not understanding the situation,” which means that patients’ sense of time and space were disordered in the ICU; 3) “Being deserted,” which indicates the feeling of being separated from others and yourself; and 4) “Resistance to protect my dignity,” which indicates that the dignity and autonomy of an individual in the patient’s position at the ICU, are ignored.
Conclusion:Nursing interventions are needed that would enable patients to maintain orientation and self-esteem in the ICU. In addition, healthcare providers need to provide information about the unfamiliar environment in the ICU in advance.
