Background: Delirium is a common clinical syndrome affecting elderly hospitalised patients and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Witnessing delirium in a loved one can be distressing for family caregivers. There is growing research on the need to support and educate families. As key stakeholders in efforts to support them, involving family caregivers in understanding their support needs is imperative.
Objectives: This study aimed to describe the experience of family caregivers in understanding delirium and explore their views on how they could be supported.
Methods: In this qualitative study, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with carers of elderly hospitalised patients with delirium. Data from the interviews were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach.
Findings: In relation to family caregivers’ experience in understanding delirium, two key themes were identified. The first was ‘delirium is not common knowledge’ which had a subtheme of ‘learning through lived experience’. The second theme was ‘delirium in the context of a broader illness narrative’. Analysis with respect to family caregivers’ views on how they could be supported found three themes: ‘family caregivers value good communication’, ‘information family caregivers want’ and ‘being present and involved’.
Conclusions: This study provided key information on how family caregivers come to understand delirium. It gained important perspective on their expectations of communication with the healthcare team, aspects of delirium family caregivers are most concerned about, and their eagerness to be involved in delirium management. These findings provide useful information for future interventions to support family caregivers.