Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Corso di laurea in infermieristica - Sede di Modena
| Thesis Title | Delirium prevention and management in the geriatric patient in the intensive care unit: review of the literature |
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| Name | Digregorio Alessia |
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| Supervisor(s) | Mussi Chiara |
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| Academic Year | 2021/22 |
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| Thesis type | Non research thesis |
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Abstract
Delirium is a common complication that occurs in elderly patients in intensive care units and it is destined to grow numerically in the coming years in view of the progressive aging of the population. This thesis has the purpose to identify, through a review of the literature, prevention and treatment strategies to achieve the most effective nursing care as possible aimed at the elderly person with delirium admitted to intensive care unit. For this reason, ample space is given to nonpharmacological treatments that provide different types of approaches: from occupational therapy to the performance of ROM exercises; likewise, there are questions about the efficacy of pharmacological treatment and the use of "safer" medications, especially for this fragile type of patient. Nurses assume a central role in supporting the patient, recognizing, preventing and treating acute symptomatology, which if not properly managed can lead to numerous negative outcomes. To produce this thesis, scientific papers and articles were searched on databases such as Pubmed, Cinahal and Google Scholar, using the keywords: delirium, intensive care unit, icu, elderly, aged, older, prevention, nurs*, manag*, control and intervention. In addition, textbooks such as Manuale di geriatria and Paziente anziano-Paziente geriatrico Medicina della complessità have been consulted. Therefore, what emerged from this thesis is that a multidisciplinary approach is important to provide the best care for elderly patients in intensive settings suffering from this disorder.
