Effectiveness of an advanced practice nurse-led delirium education and training programme

Aim To develop an education and training programme to enhance bedside nurses' knowledge, competency and compliance in accurately performing delirium screening in intensive care units. Background Delirium in intensive care units is associated with several poor patient outcomes. Delirium detection can be improved by enhancing nurses' knowledge, competency and compliance in accurately performing delirium screening. Methods A descriptive quantitative study with pretest-post-test design was adopted. There were 245 nurses from five intensive care units who participated in the study. Multiple-choice questions were used to assess nurses' knowledge change before and after the education programme. Competency was assessed before and 2 months after the programme by simulation with a standardized patient, followed by real patients at the bedside. Compliance data on screening were collected from the documentation of the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale and the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU before and 3 and 10 months after the programme. Data collection took 1 year, from June 2014 to May 2015. Results Despite nurses' improved knowledge and good competency, delirium screening documentations after 3 months were poor. However, screening documentations subsequently improved when measured at 10 months, following further emphasis by the senior nursing staff. Implications for nursing practice and policy Nursing administrators and bedside nurses need to be involved in the policy-making process and plan a training programme for the new nursing staff in the high-risk areas. A short refreshment course should be offered to the nursing staff 3 months after the initial training programme. Conclusions Improved knowledge and competency in assessment did not improve compliance and documentation of delirium screening. Therefore, it is important to reinforce nurses' compliance of delirium screening over time.