The most important findings of this multicentre survey on delirium among PICU nurses are summarized as follows:
1) PICU nurses have poor knowledge of delirium in children, especially regarding clinical manifestations, some influencing factors and medications used;
2) PICU nurses have adequate beliefs and confidence and good behaviour regarding delirium in children; and
3) It is important to conduct delirium training for PICU nurses.
In this study, 49.8% of the PICU nurses received a passing score for delirium knowledge, and the delirium knowledge of the PICU nurses was poor, which has been mentioned in numerous previous studies [19–20]. The attitude/belief and practice scores of the PICU nurses were 98.6% and 91.2%, respectively, indicating that the nurses had a certain awareness of delirium and paid attention to it. However, considering that knowledge of delirium is poor, nurses may not be able to carry out effective delirium management. Knowledge deficiencies are considered major obstacles to the implementation of delirium guidelines, and there is a need to strengthen continuing education to equip nurses with the latest knowledge of delirium care [21].
According to the 3 dimensions of the KAP scale, which had the lowest scores (Table 2), we found that PICU nurses were aware of the importance of delirium management but did not have the confidence to manage delirium well; for example, they could implement preventive measures and conduct delirium assessments and subsequently performed poorly on delirium management behaviours. This finding confirms those of Eastwood et al. [22] and Devlin et al. [23], who reported that different ICUs assess delirium in different ways and that 85% of nurses do not use assessment tools, which may be related to nurses' lack of understanding of delirium assessment tools and the fact that the assessment tools are complex and require additional time and effort.
Analysis of the factors affecting the delirium knowledge and belief behaviour of PICU nurses revealed that age, sex, years of experience, education level and title had no effect on the delirium knowledge or belief behaviour of nurses. In contrast, some studies have shown that nurses with low seniority and education levels have relatively low delirium knowledge [17, 20]. In addition, we explored whether the units assessed delirium had an effect on PICU nurses' delirium knowledge and belief behaviour. KAP theory states that improving cognition improves the ability to act. Accordingly, it is necessary to establish a delirium assessment program in PICU departments to influence nurses' understanding of the management of this disease and improve their ability to care for delirium. Finally, training is an important and effective measure for improving the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of PICU nurses regarding delirium. The current study showed that while nurses often care for patients with delirium, most nurses report a lack of educational experience, and there are no delirium assessment tools or manuals available in their departments [24]. However, one study showed that after nurse training, the incidence of delirium decreased by 54.29% [25]. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an education and training program that reflects the needs identified in this study so that hospital nurses can develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for delirium care.
Limitations
This study has several limitations. First, the generalizability of our study results to other contexts is limited because we targeted hospital nurses working at five hospitals in Sichuan Province, China, by convenience sampling. Second, the questionnaire used in this study was self-designed, and although it was reviewed by experts, it was not validated by additional psychometric indices and was used on a large scale. Furthermore, the potential for selection bias should be accounted for because of the 71.7% response rate.
Implications for practice
Considering the importance of delirium care and the ripple effect of delirium care on patients, it is necessary to enhance nurses' competency in delirium care. To improve nurses' competency in delirium care, it is necessary to develop delirium training programs to improve nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding delirium. In addition, it is necessary for management to formulate corresponding delirium management strategies, such as stipulating the frequency of delirium assessment and providing assessment tools in the ward. However, further research is needed to determine the effects of training programs and management strategies on the improvement of the delirium care competency of hospital nurses.