- ICU delirium affects up to 80% of critically ill adults and increases mortality, length of stay, and long-term cognitive impairment.
- Adopt validated screening, light sedation, sleep promotion, and multicomponent care bundles to prevent and manage delirium; deimplement outdated practices.
- Empower nurses with education, autonomy, and interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure consistent application of evidence-based delirium strategies and improve patient outcomes.
Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am. 2026 Dec;38(4):561-578. doi: 10.1016/j.cnc.2026.07.002. Epub 2026 Aug 25.
ABSTRACT
Intensive care unit (ICU) delirium affects up to 80% of critically ill adults and is associated with increased mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and long-term cognitive decline. Despite strong evidence supporting strategies for delirium management, adherence to best practices is inconsistent, and traditional practices often override their implementation. This clinical review highlights opportunities for deimplementation of outdated practices and adoption of evidence-based strategies to detect, prevent, and manage ICU delirium. Emphasis is placed on validated screening tools, light sedation practices, sleep promotion, and multicomponent care bundles. Empowering nurses with knowledge, autonomy, and interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to improving delirium-related outcomes.
PMID:42933953 | DOI:10.1016/j.cnc.2026.07.002
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