title: Lived experience of the intensive care unit for patients who experienced delirium.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Delirium is a common occurrence for patients in the intensive care unit and can have a profound and lasting impact on them. Few studies describe the experience of intensive care patients who have had delirium.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To understand the lived experience of intensive care for critically ill patients who experienced delirium.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study participants consisted of 7 men and 3 women, 46 to 70 years old, who had delirium according to the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit. The van Manen method of hermeneutic phenomenology was used, and data collection entailed audio recorded semistructured interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four themes were detected: "I can't remember," "Wanting to make a connection," "Trying to get it straight," and "Fear and safety concerns."
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurses working in intensive care units need to assess patients for delirium, assess the mental status of patients who have delirium, and help patients and patients' families learn about and deal with the psychological effects of the intensive care unit experience.
authors.affiliation: Karen Whitehorne is a nurse therapist at Eastern Health, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Alice Gaudine and Shirley Solberg are professors, and Robert Meadus is an associate professor, School of Nursing, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Karen.whitehorne@easternhealth.ca.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Whitehorne
authors.affiliation: Karen Whitehorne is a nurse therapist at Eastern Health, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Alice Gaudine and Shirley Solberg are professors, and Robert Meadus is an associate professor, School of Nursing, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gaudine
authors.affiliation: Karen Whitehorne is a nurse therapist at Eastern Health, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Alice Gaudine and Shirley Solberg are professors, and Robert Meadus is an associate professor, School of Nursing, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meadus
authors.affiliation: Karen Whitehorne is a nurse therapist at Eastern Health, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Alice Gaudine and Shirley Solberg are professors, and Robert Meadus is an associate professor, School of Nursing, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Solberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003422:Critical Care / Q000523:psychology*; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000523:psychology; D003693:Delirium / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged