What Is ICU Delirium? What Should Be Done About It?

Disclaimer:
the following content is designed as a way to help us better understand what is going on during ICU conversations and patient response. This information is NOT intended to influence anyone to break clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) or institution regulations set forth by the clinical director.
Peer reviewed journals and approved medical documentation remain the standard for changes in patient care.

This content is intended to trigger awareness and interest in understanding clinical principles.
Medicine is not taught, it’s learned.

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If you have been in rounds on a patient before you have likely heard the nurse and doctor talk about the patients metal status, whether they are alert moving to commands, usually measured on the glascow coma scale.

Why is it so important to have the patients awake?
Main take away
Identify causative drugs and response, evaluate needs and levels
Identify underlying disease processes,
Get the environment changing, Early mobilization, spontaneous breathing and awakening trials (SBT/SAT)
If the patient has glasses/hearing aids get these items to the patient and get them using them.

Get the patient back to normal routines as early as possible in their ICU stay to reduce the time spent in a state of delirium.

www.icudelirium.org
(non sponsored site)