Impact of delirium and recall on the level of distress in patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Delirium has been the most frequent neuropsychiatric complication in patients with advanced cancer. This exploratory study aimed to determine the proportion of patients who were able to recall their experience of delirium and the level of distress experienced by patients, family caregivers, and healthcare professionals. METHODS: Patients with advanced cancer who had completely recovered from an acute delirium episode, had Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale score P = .0004). Bedside nurses and palliative care specialists expressed low median overall delirium distress scores (median, 0; 25%‐75% quartile 0‐1). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients with advanced cancer recalled their experience of delirium, causing moderate to severe distress in both patients and family caregivers. Appropriate interventions to reduce this distress are needed. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.