Factors Related to Delirium of Intensive Care Unit Patients in Korea: A Systematic Review

Background: The delirium in Intensive Care Units (ICU) patients is a major cause of unplanned extubation, increased length of hospital day. This study aimed to review systematically risk factors associated with the oc-currence of delirium among ICU patients in South Korea. Methods: Data collection was done with domestic literature search databases including KMbase, KoreaMed, KISS, and KisTi and also with hand searching, from February 17 to May 19, 2019. Two researchers inde-pendently selected research literatures, and three researchers summarized and identified related variables based on data extraction methods. Results: Overall, 140 articles were identified, 18 articles met the inclusion criteria for review. According to the results of the methodological quality, one article was found to have a high level of quality, while the remaining 17 articles belonged to the medium level. Those factors were highly associated with delirium by more than 9 out of the 18 selected studies were listed as follows; age, the application of ventilator, APACHE II score, comorbidity, the application of restraint, and educational level. In addition, catheter insertion and the applica-tion of artificial airway had significant relevance with the occurrence of delirium. Conclusion: For management of delirium among ICU patients, it is necessary to eliminate and prevent deliri-um-associated risk factors, and also to detect and treat the delirium early through regular monitoring using an appropriate screening tool for delirium.