Nurses’ Experiences of Managing Terminal Agitation and Delirium in Palliative Care for Elderly Patients
Caja, Hannah; Rivera, Louwie; Panilo, Ma. Angelica (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202602052336
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202602052336
Tiivistelmä
Terminal agitation and delirium are very common complications in elderly patients during the final stages of life, which often cause distress for patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Nurses are of vital importance in recognizing, addressing, and managing these symptoms, however their experiences are not widely documented in research and studies. The aim of this study is to give new insight to create a new understanding about this topic and may help further research and potential development guidelines in the future.
This is a qualitative study which focuses on peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025. Articles have been retrieved from Metcat Finna, ProQuest, EBSCO, PubMed, using a specific inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Inductive analysis was done on eight relevant studies to identify experiences and themes that are related to nursing experiences and challenges in managing terminal agitation and delirium among palliative care patients.
The study has shown the importance of the complexity of symptom recognition, emotional burden on nurses, and the importance of communication with the patients and their families. Additional findings emphasize the importance of training, clearer protocols and the multidisciplinary collaboration to support nurses encountering these issues.
By consolidating current evidence, this study provides insight into actual experiences of nurses in palliative care and highlights the importance of support on evidence-based approaches to care of patients with end-of-life delirium and terminal agitation. The result aims to guide future research, support the nursing practice, and enhance holistic care for elderly patients in their final stages of life.
This is a qualitative study which focuses on peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025. Articles have been retrieved from Metcat Finna, ProQuest, EBSCO, PubMed, using a specific inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Inductive analysis was done on eight relevant studies to identify experiences and themes that are related to nursing experiences and challenges in managing terminal agitation and delirium among palliative care patients.
The study has shown the importance of the complexity of symptom recognition, emotional burden on nurses, and the importance of communication with the patients and their families. Additional findings emphasize the importance of training, clearer protocols and the multidisciplinary collaboration to support nurses encountering these issues.
By consolidating current evidence, this study provides insight into actual experiences of nurses in palliative care and highlights the importance of support on evidence-based approaches to care of patients with end-of-life delirium and terminal agitation. The result aims to guide future research, support the nursing practice, and enhance holistic care for elderly patients in their final stages of life.