Nurses' recognition of hyperactive and hypoactive delirium

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the abilities of nurses to recognize hyperactive and hypoactive delirium. A mail survey was send to 3,755 nurses; the survey contained questions regarding the signs and symptoms of hyperactive and hypoactive delirium. Responses were made using original Likert-type scales. The participants were asked to rate the items that they judged signs and symptoms of delirium. The number of responses that were eligible for analyses was 1,681. A significant difference in the ability of nurses to recognize hyperactive and hypoactive delirium was observed. The recognition of hypoactive delirium was not influenced by the workplace or the number of years of nursing experience. These results suggested that, regardless of nursing experience or work place, hypoactive delirium is not well-recognized by nurses in Japan.