Non-Pharmacological Nursing Interventions to Prevent Delirium in ICU Patients—An Umbrella Review with Implications for Evidence-Based Practice

Abstract

Delirium in ICU patients is a complication associated with many adverse consequences. Given the high prevalence of this complication in critically ill patients, it is essential to develop and implement an effective management protocol to prevent delirium. Given that the cause of delirium is multifactorial, non-pharmacological multicomponent interventions are promising strategies for delirium prevention. (1) Background: To identify and evaluate published systematic review on non-pharmacological nursing interventions to prevent delirium in intensive care unit patients. (2) Methods: An umbrella review guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute was utilized. Data were obtained from PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. The last search was conducted on 1 May 2022. (3) Results: Fourteen reviews met the inclusion criteria. Multicomponent interventions are the most promising methods in the fight against delirium. The patient’s family is an important part of the process and should be included in the delirium prevention scheme. Light therapy can improve the patient’s circadian rhythm and thus contribute to reducing the incidence of delirium. (4) Conclusions: Non-pharmacological nursing interventions may be effective in preventing and reducing the duration of delirium in ICU patients.

Keywords

• non-pharmacological interventions
• delirium
• ICU
• systematic review