{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T23:54:23Z","timestamp":1784764463096,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,15]],"date-time":"2022-09-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1663200000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>(1) Introduction: Delirium is a cognitive disorder that affects up to 80% of ICU patients and has many negative consequences. The occurrence of delirium in an ICU patient also negatively affects the relatives caring for these patients. The aim of this study was to explore patients\u2019 and their families\u2019 experiences of delirium during their ICU stay. (2) Method: The study used a qualitative design based on phenomenology as a research method. A semi-structured interview method was used to achieve the aim. The responses of patients and their families were recorded and transcribed, and the data were coded and analyzed. (3) Results: Eight interviews were conducted with past ICU patients who developed delirium during hospitalization and their family members. The mean age of the participants was 71 years. Of the eight patients, 2 (25%) were female and 6 (75%) were male. The relationships of the 8 carers with the patients were wife (in 4 cases), daughter (in 2 cases), and son (in 2 cases). The average length of time a patient stayed in the ICU was 24 days. The following themes were extracted from the interviews: education, feelings before the delirium, pain, thirst, the day after, talking to the family\/patient, and return home. (4) Conclusions: Post-delirium patients and their families feel that more emphasis should be placed on information about delirium. Most patients feel embarrassed and ashamed about events during a delirium episode. Patients fear the reaction of their families when delirium occurs. Patients\u2019 families are not concerned about their relatives returning home and believe that the home environment will allow them to forget the delirium events more quickly during hospitalization.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph191811601","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,15]],"date-time":"2022-09-15T22:11:10Z","timestamp":1663279870000},"page":"11601","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Patients\u2019 and Relatives\u2019 Experiences of Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit\u2014A Qualitative Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9728-5011","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sandra","family":"Lange","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal and Pediatric Nursing, Medical University of Gda\u0144sk, D\u0119binki 7, 80-211 Gda\u0144sk, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8377-4893","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wioletta","family":"M\u0119drzycka-D\u0105browska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anaesthesiology Nursing & Intensive Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Gda\u0144sk, D\u0119binki 7, 80-211 Gda\u0144sk, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9528-6464","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adriano","family":"Friganovi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"},{"name":"Department of Nursing, University of Applied Health Sciences, Mlinarska Cesta 38, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dorota","family":"Religa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institute, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3002-3153","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sabina","family":"Krupa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Health Sciences, College of Medical Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Warzywna 1A, 35-310 Rzeszow, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1306","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1301372","article-title":"Long-Term Cognitive Impairment after Critical Illness","volume":"369","author":"Pandharipande","year":"2013","journal-title":"N. 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