Institutionalizing Clinical Reasoning: A Grounded Theory of the Clinical Reasoning Processes RNs Use to Recognize Delirium.

Abstract

Delirium is a common disorder among hospitalized older adults often leading to prolonged hospitalization, increased health care costs, and sometimes death. The goal of the current study was to construct a grounded theory that explains the clinical reasoning processes that RNs use to recognize delirium in older adults in acute care settings. Seventeen participants in three hospitals were interviewed. The core category that emerged from the data was institutionalizing clinical reasoning. Findings from the current study can be a starting point for RNs to bring self-awareness to variables that influence their reasoning processes.