Premium
Patients’ experiences of delirium: A systematic review and meta‐summary of qualitative research
Author(s) -
KuusistoGussmann Eero,
Höckelmann Carolin,
von der Lühe Verena,
Schmädig Roman,
Baltes Marion,
Stephan Astrid
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/jan.14865
Subject(s) - cinahl , psycinfo , delirium , systematic review , qualitative research , context (archaeology) , medline , meta analysis , psychology , construct (python library) , medicine , clinical psychology , applied psychology , psychiatry , psychological intervention , computer science , paleontology , social science , sociology , political science , law , biology , programming language
Aims The purpose of this systematic review and meta‐summary was the aggregation of the empirical qualitative literature on patients’ experiences of delirium in order to support the development and implementation of patient‐oriented delirium management and to guide future research. Design We conducted a systematic literature review of qualitative research published between January 1980 and June 2019. Data sources In June 2019, we searched in Medline, CINAHL, SSCI and PsycInfo to identify relevant reports. In addition, we conducted searches in three dissertation databases (BASE, DART and ProQuest) and Google Scholar. Review methods We used methods developed by Sandelowski and Barroso to construct a meta‐summary of the findings by extracting them from the reports, abstracting them into meta‐ findings and calculating their manifest interstudy frequency effect sizes. Results Out of the 742 identified records, 24 reports based on delirium experience accounts of 483 patients met our criteria and were included. One thousand ninety‐seven findings were extracted from these reports and abstracted into 92 meta‐findings. These were grouped to the five emerging themes ‘perception’, ‘emotions’, ‘interaction with others’, ‘dealing with delirium’ and ‘influence on further life’. Conclusion Delirium is commonly perceived as an overall distressing condition, which can accompany and influence patients even after hospital discharge. Impact This systematic review and meta‐summary is the most comprehensive aggregation of qualitative research of the patient delirium experience to date. It allows us to better understand, extract meaning from, and weigh the qualitative findings in their context by calculating their manifest frequency effect sizes. This can be used to support the development and implementation of delirium management concepts.