A Multimodal Educational Programme to Enhance Nurses' Proficiency in Delirium Recognition in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND

Delirium, a common complication in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), can significantly impede recovery and lead to adverse outcomes. The Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD) scale, a subjective tool for delirium identification, is influenced by nurses' clinical expertise and cognitive abilities. Therefore, targeted education and training for health care providers are essential.

AIM: This study aimed to enhance PICU nurses' ability to assess paediatric delirium through a Multimodal Educational Programme based on the PRECEDE (Predisposing, Reinforcing and Enabling Causes in Educational Diagnosis and Evaluation) model.

STUDY

DESIGN

A descriptive quantitative study with a pretest-post-test design was conducted. Sixty-five PICU nurses participated in a one-month training programme on paediatric delirium. Training effectiveness was evaluated using the "Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Survey on Pediatric Delirium," the "CAPD Competency Test," and clinical data from CAPD scale usage.

RESULTS

Post-training, nurses demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge (95% CI [1.002, 3.518], p < 0.01), attitudes (95% CI [0.344, 3.036], p < 0.05) and behaviours (95% CI [1.806, 5.094], p < 0.001) related to paediatric delirium. Proficiency in using the CAPD scale also improved significantly (t = -18.453, 95% CI [6.892, 8.308], p < 0.001). Inter-rater consistency increased from 66.12% to 87.31% (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The PRECEDE model-based training programme effectively enhanced nurses' knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding paediatric delirium and improved their assessment skills. Future studies should collect data on delirium incidence to determine whether the training reduces paediatric delirium occurrence.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This training programme promotes more accurate paediatric delirium assessment using the CAPD scale, thereby improving inter-rater consistency among PICU nurses.