Mechanical restraint and delirium in the elderly in the ICU: a scoping review

Abstract

Objective: To map the evidence of the association between mechanical restraint and delirium in elderly people admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Methods: This is a scoping review that followed the guidelines proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The following descriptors were used: "Intensive Care Unit", "Delirium", "Elderly" and "Physical Restraint", as well as their synonyms in Portuguese and Spanish, in the National Library of Medicine's (PubMed^Ⓡ), SCOPUS and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL^Ⓡ) databases. Results: The final sample consisted of 11 manuscripts, which showed that the issue is a recent and global concern. Almost all of the studies were longitudinal or cross-sectional, describing measures of the incidence and prevalence of delirium in the ICU and their respective risk factors, such as mechanical restraint. Final considerations: The evidence points to a significant correlation between impaired physical mobility, the use of mechanical restraint and the development of delirium. However, these correlations need further investigation, especially if mechanical restraint, as a predictor variable, is causal for the development of delirium.