Assessing PICU Staff Nurses’ Knowledge toward Delirium in Pediatric Patients

Abstract

Background:Delirium is frequently under diagnosed and under treated in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU). Both adult and pediatric literature have noted the significance of detecting and treating PICU delirium. Delirium lengthens hospital stays, the duration of mechanical ventilation, and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and PICU morbidity. Method: The goal of this study was to use a brief questionnaire to assess pediatric critical care nurses’ current understanding of delirium and its risk factors. Assuming that PICU nurses lack the necessary information to accurately screen for and diagnose delirium in critically ill children before a focused nursing educational intervention. To gauge current understanding regarding delirium in children, a 10-bed PICU distributed a 16-question online survey to all PICU nurses.Results: The response rate was 84% (26/31). Lack of knowledge was found that only two staff nurses (2/26; 8%) who properly responded when asked whether administering benzodiazepines is beneficial in treating delirium when asked about the use of these drugs to treat the condition. In addition, a family history of dementia predisposes a patient to delirium was another question that some participants correctly answered (4/26; 15%). Lastly, common incorrect answers when using the Glascoma Scale (GCS) as a diagnostic tool to identify delirium in pediatric patients, some staff nurses frequently give the incorrect response that delirium always manifests as a hyperactive, confused state, and those pediatric patients typically do not remember being delirious (5/26; 19%). Conclusion: The survey’s findings revealed knowledge gaps about the causes, symptoms, and treatments of pediatric delirium in critically ill children. Before the unit-wide adoption of a delirium screening and prevention program, PICU staff members urgently need to receive nursing education concerning pediatric delirium and associated risk factors, particularly regarding screening procedures and pharmacologic risk factors.