Essay On Delirium

Lena, addressing the underlying cause of the delirium is the most critical component to treating the individuals’ condition. Delirium develops from metabolic disturbances, infections, inadequate sleep hygiene, anatomic disturbances, and substance/alcohol withdrawal (Townsend & Morgan, 2017). These underlying causes must be addressed with additional interventions to successfully eliminate the delirium. For example, a non-pharmacological intervention for delirium in a study suggests the application of ear plugs and dimming the lights to improve the frequency of sleep disturbances associated with the conditions’ etiology (Oh, Fong, & Hshieh, 2017). Improving the underlying cause of the condition is helpful for healthcare professionals to treat delirium and these components can be addressed with many non-pharmacological interventions. Research has shown that these non-pharmacological interventions have been highly suggested rather than pharmacological

interventions to treat delirium (Oh et al., 2017).

Nursing interventions to be implemented for an individual with delirium should include continual assessment and health management (Oh et al., 2017).

Hospitalized patients should be continually assessed ideally every five minutes to ensure that the patient is reassured of their surroundings and safety (Oh et al., 2017). This continual assessment will be helpful for nurses to ensure that the patient is adequately hydrated, maintaining electrolyte balance, and improving in overall condition (Oh et al., 2017). Medical treatment for delirium does include antipsychotics such as Haloperidol, but many studies have not shown much benefit to this pharmacological treatment in decreasing the severity and duration of delirium (Oh et al., 2017). Additionally, Haloperidol is not a suggested treatment method for older adults with delirium due to impacts on impaired cognition (Oh et al., 2017). Other than Haloperidol, there are not many recommended pharmacological treatments to implement for an individual with delirium (Oh et al.,

2017).

Education for patients’ and families with delirium does include maintaining patient comfort and understanding of the condition symptoms (Oh et al., 2017). Family members could be instructed to provide healthcare professionals with a description of the patient’s “baseline” mental status during the time of diagnosis and treatment (Oh et al., 2017). Providing healthcare professionals with a baseline cognition status to assess, can provide more information to determine if improvements have been achieved (Oh et al., 2017). Additional information to aid in educating the patient and family include the acute and temporary onset of the condition (Townsend & Morgan, 2017). Support and reassurance by family members is highly recommended during the duration of the patients’ delirium (Oh et al., 2017). This reassurance to the family can benefit the patient as there is greater understanding of the disease process and duration of delirium (Oh et al., 2017).