Managing Post Operative Delirium - A Nurse's Perspective

Delirium is a clinical state characterized by an acute, fluctuating change in mental condition creating life threatening complications for the patient and a significant challenge for those managing their care. This study examines the impact that caring for patients experiencing post operative delirium has on front line staff. The main theme that emerged from this project was job satisfaction and how caring for patients experiencing post operative delirium directly impacts job stress. When nurses feel dissastisfied with the care they are giving they begin to withdraw from their patients in order to care for themselves emotionally. Examining factors that impact job satisfaction in nurses and the resulting effet on quality patient care are two areas that all health authorities, hospital administrators and physicians must acknowledge. With an impending nursing shortage retention of experienced staff depend on this. All the nurses in this study stated that patient safety was the most important factor when caring for patients with delirium. However if nurses continue to care at the expense of their own wellbeing, burnout will be the ultimate result.