COVID-19 and the Impact on Delirium Care of Hospitalized Older Adults: A Qualitative Study.

Abstract

Older adult patients with COVID-19 and delirium experience higher rates of adverse outcomes. Early recognition of at-risk patients and implementation of management strategies improve outcomes, though understanding barriers to acute care nurses implementing these strategies is limited. This study's purpose was to understand the experiences of acute care nurses providing care to older adults with COVID-19 and delirium. Experiences explored included assessment, nursing management interventions, and barriers to care. Purposive sampling to recruit nurses for semistructured focus groups was performed, and thematic analysis was generated by 4 members of the research team. Twenty-one nurses participated in focus groups. Thematic analysis revealed themes of increased patient social isolation, barriers to delirium assessment and prevention, increased staff demands, and stressful work environments. Rich findings reveal the profound impact of the pandemic on assessment for delirium and implementation of strategies for prevention and management in older adult patients.