Exploring Post-Anaesthesia Care Unit Nurses' Experiences Post Participation in a Delirium Care for Older People Education Intervention: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Aim

To explore the learning experiences of post-anaesthesia care unit nurses after their participation in a delirium care for older people education intervention.

Background

Post-operative delirium is a common, yet major complication for people 65 years or older who have undergone surgery. Yet, post-operative delirium in older people continues to go undetected, has delayed detection or is entirely misdiagnosed. Inadequate delirium recognition and management is in part due to the lack of knowledge, competence and confidence of post-anaesthesia care unit nurses caring for older people. Multimodal education opportunities significantly contribute to nurses' improved knowledge, skills, confidence and competence in delirium care, as well as improvements in patient clinical outcomes. However, knowledge of which aspects of the learning experience that make the most impact to post-anaesthesia care unit nurses' clinical practice is limited.

Design

Qualitative descriptive design.

Methods

Post-anaesthesia care unit nurses participated in a four-module multimodal delirium education intervention, which was co-designed by expert clinicians and tailored to the contextual needs of post-operative care. Nurses who participated in the educational intervention were invited to submit their completed learner workbooks. Qualitative data (n = 66 learner workbooks) were collected via 12 open-ended learner workbook questions.

Results

Content analysis of 655 open-ended participant responses generated three categories and seven sub-categories: gains in knowledge (Category 1), emotional responses to learning (Category 2) and clinical practice changes (Category 3).

Conclusion

Multimodal education interventions are beneficial for post-anaesthesia care unit nurses caring for older people with delirium. Learning outcomes include changes in knowledge, attitudes and clinical practices. The use of simulation-based education is particularly impactful on positive learning experiences of post-anaesthesia care unit nurses.

Implications for Practice

Nurse educators are encouraged to utilise simulation-based education to enhance nurses' knowledge, competence and confidence of caring for older people with delirium.