EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A DELIRIUM PREVENTION PROGRAM ON NURSES KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION REGARDING DELIRIUM IN INTENSIVE CARE UNITS

Abstract

Background: Delirium is a prevalent neurocognitive disorder and represents a major unintended neurocognitive dysfunction for critically ill patients. To enhance recognition and proper management, it is essential that staff possess the knowledge and perception to identify the signs and can commence the management of delirium while reducing the potential consequences that may arise. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a delirium prevention program on ICUs nurses’ knowledge and perception regarding delirium in intensive care units. Methods: Within group, quasi-experimental design was used to implement a delirium prevention program on ICU nurses. Data were collected between December 2025 to April 2026 at three stages pre-test, immediately post-test and as follw up test (after one month), all by using the same self-administered questionnaire. The sample size was 57 ICU nurses, recruited by using convenience sampling method. Result: A total of 57 ICU nurses participated in the study using a pre-test, immediate post-test, and one-month follow-up design. Before the intervention, nurses demonstrated low to moderate knowledge (Mean = 4.11 ± 1.68) and moderate perception levels (Mean = 2.78 ± 0.54), with major deficiencies in delirium assessment and ICDSC use. Following the educational intervention, nurses’ knowledge significantly improved to 8.96 ± 1.22, while perception scores increased to 4.62 ± 0.29. At one-month follow-up, knowledge and perception remained high with scores of 7.82 ± 1.10 and 4.40 ± 0.39 respectively, indicating good retention of learning outcomes. Statistical analysis using the Friedman test revealed significant improvements across all time points for both knowledge (χ² = 91.514, p < 0.001) and perception (χ² = 87.676, p < 0.001). The findings demonstrate that the delirium prevention program was effective in enhancing ICU nurses’ knowledge, confidence, and perceptions regarding delirium assessment and management. Significant differences were identified in nurses’ knowledge scores according to educational level, marital status, department, and experience. Nurses with master’s or PhD degrees achieved significantly higher knowledge scores than bachelor-prepared nurses (p = 0.013). Married nurses also demonstrated significantly better knowledge compared to single or divorced nurses (p = 0.015). In addition, nurses working in the MICU showed significantly higher knowledge levels than those working in SICU and CCU (p = 0.022). At the one-month follow-up stage, years of experience became significantly associated with outcomes (p = 0.038), where nurses with less experience showed better performance. No significant differences were found between sociodemographic variables and perception scores. Conclusion: The delirium prevention educational program had a significant positive effect on ICU nurses’ knowledge and perception regarding delirium and the use of the ICDSC tool. Nurses showed substantial improvement immediately after the intervention, and these improvements were generally maintained at the one-month follow-up stage. The study highlights the importance of continuous educational and training programs in improving nurses’ ability to identify, assess, and manage delirium effectively in intensive care settings. Ongoing reinforcement and periodic training are recommended to sustain knowledge retention and strengthen long-term positive perceptions and clinical practice.