Nurses' management of older patients with post-anesthesia delirium: A Q methodology approach

Abstract

Purpose This is an analysis of the experiences of nurses in Post Anesthesia Care Units (PACUs) in caring for older patients with emergence delirium using the Q-methodology.

Methods The Q-methodology, which is used to explore and understand human subjectivity, was applied. Thirty nurses who had experiences in providing nursing for delirium in older patients after surgery in a PACU participated in this study.

Results This study revealed three factors regarding the frame of reference of PACU nurses in detecting and managing older patients' emergence delirium: “detect the deviant changes leading to instability”, “focus on the patient’s degree of cognitive recovery within the framework of recovery time”, and “awareness of possible clues based on the patient’s underlying disease(s)”.

Conclusion These findings are expected to be utilized as a basis for more practical and accessible PACU nurse delirium education that reflects nurses’ subjective viewpoints explained by the three identified factors.