Prevention and treatment of delirium in intensive care: Hermeneutics of experiences of the nursing team

To understand the experiences in nursing care in the prevention and treatment of delirium in people hospitalized in intensive care units. Hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study. The selection of participants was by intentional sampling: seven nursing assistants and eight nurses. Theoretical saturation was achieved. The phenomenological interview was applied to collect data from a central question and the analysis was carried out following the approaches of Heidegger’s hermeneutical circle. Four significant themes emerged from the analysis: (1) delirium prevention, (2) pharmacological treatment, (3) non-pharmacological treatment, and (4) barriers to non-pharmacological treatment. These themes were accompanied by 35 interrelated units of meaning: in the first theme, the most repetitive units were communication, orientation, and family bonding; in the second was the use of pharmacological treatment only in the acute phase; in the third was the modification of the environment according to the patient’s preference (where the family is a priority and strategies that provide cognitive and social stimulation can be reinforced), and in the fourth was the work overload for the nursing team. The experiences of the nursing team in the prevention and treatment of delirium in critically ill patients highlight that communication allows an approach to the patient as a human being immersed in a reality, with a personal history, needs and preferences. Therefore, family members must be involved in these scenarios, as they can complement and support nursing care. Comprender las vivencias del cuidado de enfermería frente a la prevención y el tratamiento del delirium en personas hospitalizadas en unidades de cuidados intensivos. Estudio cualitativo fenomenológico hermenéutico. La selección de participantes fue por muestreo intencionado: siete auxiliares de enfermería y ocho enfermeras. Se logró la saturación teórica. Se aplicó la entrevista fenomenológica para la recolección de datos a partir de una pregunta central y el análisis se realizó siguiendo los planteamientos del círculo hermenéutico de Heidegger. Del análisis, emergieron cuatro temas significativos: (1) prevención del delirium, (2) tratamiento farmacológico, (3) tratamiento no farmacológico y (4) barreras para el tratamiento no farmacológico. Estos temas estuvieron acompañados de 35 unidades de significado vinculadas entre sí: en el primer tema, las unidades más reiterativas fueron comunicación, orientación y