Abstract
This study aimed to identify symptoms of patients with hypoactive delirium perceived by nurses who specialize in the care of critically ill patients with delirium, and clarify nursing practice developed based on clinical knowledge that contributes to early detection.
Focus-group interviews were conducted involving nurses who conduct research on nursing practice to detect hypoactive delirium in critically ill patients, in order to investigate "the kinds of symptoms they detect due to underactive delirium, and whether or not they consider that the observation is necessary", and the obtained data were analyzed using a descriptive approach.
Participants were 8 nurses, divided into 2 groups of 4 subjects. As symptoms of hypoactive delirium, 15 categories, including [subtle changes], [gradual reduction in activity over time], and [atmosphere in which patients do not want us to intervene], as clinical knowledge that contributes to early detection, 10 categories, including [I sense the reduced activity of patients accepting the reality of their situation], and as nursing practice that contributes to early detection, 6 categories, including [practical involvement based on an individual's emotional swings] were extracted.
From the association between the categories, pointing to the reaction of hypoactive delirium, and captures the aspects that go through the transition, clinical reasoning for the activities of the decline and the hypoactive delirium has been suggested to lead to early detection.
