A Systematic Review of Non-Pharmacological Interventions to Prevent Delirium at Intensive Care Units

Abstract

Objective: It was aimed to systematically review non-pharmacological interventions used to prevent delirium at intensive care units. Methods: A search was conducted for publications in the period of 2013-2020 by using keywords determined based on Medical Subjects Headings and Embase Tree on the databases of Cochrane, CINAHL, PsyInfo, PubMed and EMBASE. Quasi-experimental, experimental and randomized-controlled studies were included in the review. Results: Thirteen studies meeting the criteria of this review were determined. The studies were categorized under the titles of multi-component, patient education, hormone intervention, physical environment, therapeutic intervention, automated preventive system, quitting daily sedation and exercise. It was determined that the interventions had important effects regarding delirium management, but only the multi-component intervention application was significant. Conclusion: According to results of this systematic review, it is recommended to use multi-component interventions in delirium treatment.