2020 Volume 34 Article ID: 34_155_nagahisa
The purpose of this study was to explore the nursing care in delirium care by clarifying the factors that impede communication with delirium patients. Taking nursing records of dealing with delirium patients as descriptions of the experiences of the nurses and patients, we performed a qualitative analysis through descriptive phenomenology to clarify the meaning of their experiences. Since the consciousness of nurses struggling with delirium care is mediated by their responsibility for safety management, their attention is directed toward the symptoms and treatment of delirium. Hence, they unknowingly look upon delirium patients as “things” that cannot communicate verbally, making the patients’ complaints appear meaningless. These factors impeded communication with delirium patients. On the other hand, when nurses practiced care by paying attention to the suffering of delirium patients and encouraging them to talk, they became calm and composed, and consequently were able to sleep without drugs. Since the experience of a delirium patient involves suffering in which the patient is confused about time, place, and the presence of oneself or others, the nurses’ awareness of the patients’ suffering and their encouragement by listening to their stories reassured and calmed the patients. In the field of cancer medical care, delirium care involving “the potential of nursing” that does not include prediction, prevention, medication, or physical restraint is strongly suggested.
