• Imogen Featherstone, Annmarie Hosie, Najma Siddiqi, Pamela Grassau, Shirley H Bush, Johanna Taylor, Trevor Sheldon, and Miriam J Johnson.
• Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK.
• Palliat Med. 2021 Jun 1; 35 (6): 9881004988-1004.

BackgroundDelirium is common in palliative care settings and is distressing for patients, their families and clinicians. To develop effective interventions, we need first to understand current delirium care in this setting.AimTo understand patient, family, clinicians' and volunteers' experience of delirium and its care in palliative care contexts.DesignQualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis (PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018102417).Data SourcesThe following databases were searched: CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Embase, MEDLINE and PsycINFO (2000-2020) for qualitative studies exploring experiences of delirium or its care in specialist palliative care services. Study selection and quality appraisal were independently conducted by two reviewers.ResultsA total of 21 papers describing 16 studies were included. In quality appraisal, trustworthiness (rigour of methods used) was assessed as high (n = 5), medium (n = 8) or low (n = 3). Three major themes were identified: interpretations of delirium and their influence on care; clinicians' responses to the suffering of patients with delirium and the roles of the family in delirium care. Nursing staff and other clinicians had limited understanding of delirium as a medical condition with potentially modifiable causes. Practice focused on alleviating patient suffering through person-centred approaches, which could be challenging with delirious patients, and medication use. Treatment decisions were also influenced by the distress of family and clinicians and resource limitations. Family played vital roles in delirium care.ConclusionsIncreased understanding of non-pharmacological approaches to delirium prevention and management, as well as support for clinicians and families, are important to enable patients' multi-dimensional needs to be met.

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