The Lived Experience of Delirium in a Critically Ill Child: A Narrative Study.
Rikke Louise Stenkjaer, Ingrid Egerod, Mala Moszkowicz and 2 others
PMID 41999023WHAT IT FOUND
A critically ill child described delirium as being lost, pursued and paralysed.
He described ways to orient: his mother, hearing his name, light, feeling the floor, and familiar media. This is one child's account, not evidence treatment works.
Key findings
01The narrative analysis identified four themes: being lost, being pursued, being paralysed, and being back.
02Eric described delirium as mixing ICU cues with familiar media, including loudspeakers, surveillance, reflections, an oximeter, and a video game.
03He described orientation cues such as his mother's presence, hearing his name, turning on lights, feeling the floor, and using hand signals.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only one child was studied, so this describes his experience, not how most children experience delirium. The interview happened 10 months after ICU discharge, and the child and mother had retold the story, so details may have been reshaped. The child had vision, hearing, and developmental disorders, which may have affected how he perceived and described the ICU. The study reports experiences and themes, not whether any strategy reduced delirium or improved outcomes. The authors could not include more participants, and the narrative did not show a range of experiences.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation in Denmark. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that turning on lights, touching the floor, or family presence prevents or treats delirium. This is one child's retrospective account, not an intervention study.