Effect of Training Program on Nursing staff Knowledge and Practices related to Post-Operative Delirium in Older Adults Patients

Background: Postoperative delirium is a fatal complication that occurs in older adults after surgery. It is prevalent in healthcare settings and is often under-recognized and misdiagnosed due to a lack of knowledge among healthcare providers. Aim: To evaluate the effect of the training program on nursing staff knowledge and practices regarding post-operative delirium among older adult patients. Methods: A quasi-experimental research design with one group pretest-posttest was employed. A purposive sample of 80 eligible nurses was recruited to participate in the study from the surgical and intensive care units affiliated to Mansoura University Hospital. The data pertinent to the study was collected using the Nurses’ Demographic Characteristics and Work-Related Data questionnaire, the Delirium Knowledge Questionnaire, and the Delirium Observational Checklist. Results: The majority of the studied nurses had poor knowledge and practices related to postoperative delirium (81.3% and 100%, respectively). After implementing the training program, the studied nurses' total mean scores of knowledge improved from 14.48±2.94 to 27.28±4.94. Similarly, the nurses' total mean scores of practices increased from 28.18±3.90 to 63.32±6.23, with a statistically significant difference observed in overall mean scores of knowledge and practices (p<0.00) pre-and post-program. Conclusion: The proposed training program is an effective teaching approach that enhances nurses' knowledge and practices regarding postoperative delirium. Recommendations: An in-service educational program should be developed for nurses who care for elderly patients to improve their knowledge and skills regarding postoperative delirium. Nursing institutions should also emphasize the education of postoperative delirium and integrate it into the undergraduate nursing curriculum to raise nursing students’ awareness regarding this serious complication.