The Polish Version of the Nursing Delirium Screening Scale (NuDESC PL)-Experience of Using in Nursing Practice in Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit

Introduction: Delirium is a common complication of patients hospitalized in Intensive care units (ICU). The risk of delirium is estimated at approximately 80% in intensive care units. In the case of cardiac surgery ICU, the risk of delirium increases due to the type of procedures performed with the use of extracorporeal circulation. The aim of this study was to provide an official translation and evaluation of Nursing Delirium Screening Scale (NuDESC) into Polish. The NuDESC scale is a scale used by nurses around the world to detect delirium at an early stage in treatment. Methods: The method used in the study was the NuDESC tool, which was translated into Polish. The study was conducted by Cardiac ICU nurses during day shift (at 8 a.m.), night shift (at 8 p.m.) and in other situations where the patients showed delirium-like symptoms. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed between the first and second day in the studied group of patients in the case of illusions/hallucinations. Delirium occurred more frequently during the night, but statistical significance was demonstrated for both daytime and nighttime shifts. It was not demonstrated in relation to the NuDESC scale in the case of insomnia disorders. The diagnosis of delirium and disorientation was the most common diagnosis observed in patients on the first day of their stay in the ICU, followed by problems with communication. Delirium occurred on the first day, mainly at night. On the second day, delirium was much less frequent during the night; the biggest problem was disorientation and problems with communication. Conclusion: This study contributed to the development of the Polish version of the scale (NuDESC PL) which is now used as the Polish screening tool for delirium detection. The availability of an easy-to-use nurse-based delirium instrument is a prerequisite for widespread implementation.