Analysis of a health team's records and nurses' perceptions concerning signs and symptoms of delirium

Authors

  • Rosa Carla Gomes da Silva Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto
  • Abel Avelino de Paiva e Silva Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto
  • Paulo Alexandre Oliveira Marques Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692011000100012

Keywords:

Nursing, Elderly, Delirium, Dementia, Amnestic, Cognitive Disorders

Abstract

This study investigates the extent of under-diagnosis of acute confusion/delirium by analyzing the records of a health team and the perception of nurses concerning this phenomenon. This quantitative study was developed in a central university hospital in Portugal and used the documentary and interview techniques. The sample obtained through the application of the NeeCham's scale was composed of 111 patients with the diagnosis of acute confusion/delirium hospitalized in the medical and surgical acute care units. A rate of 12.6% of under-diagnosis was identified in the records and a rate of 30.6% was found taking into account the perception of nurses. No indicators of acute confusion/delirium were found in 8.1% of the 111 cases and only 4.5% of the patients were diagnosed with acute confusion/delirium. The results indicate there is difficulty in identifying acute confusion/delirium, with implications for the quality of care, suggesting the need to implement training measures directed to health teams.

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Published

2011-02-01

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2011)

Section

Original Articles

License

RLAE’s authorship concept is based on the substantial contribution by each of the individuals listed as authors, mainly in terms of conceiving and planning the research project, collecting or analyzing and interpreting data, writing and critical review. Indication of authors’ names under the article title is limited to six. If more, authors are listed on the online submission form under Acknowledgements. The possibility of including more than six authors will only be examined on multicenter studies, considering the explanations presented by the authors.
Including names of authors whose contribution does not fit into the above criteria cannot be justified. Those names can be included in the Acknowledgements section.
 Authors are fully responsible for the concepts disseminated in their manuscripts, which do not necessarily reflect the editors’ and editorial board’s opinion.

 

How to Cite

Analysis of a health team’s records and nurses’ perceptions concerning signs and symptoms of delirium . (2011). Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem, 19(1), 81-89. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692011000100012