J Gerontol Nurs
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Delirium is a common disorder among hospitalized older adults often leading to prolonged hospitalization, increased health care costs, and sometimes death. The goal of the current study was to construct a grounded theory that explains the clinical reasoning processes that RNs use to recognize delirium in older adults in acute care settings. ⋯ The core category that emerged from the data was institutionalizing clinical reasoning. Findings from the current study can be a starting point for RNs to bring self-awareness to variables that influence their reasoning processes.