The Use of Auditory-visual Stimulation to Reduce Delirium Rates in Intensive Care Patients Post-cardiac Surgery: a Feasibility Study

DaCsi-ICU is a mixed methods research study including the collection of data from patient's medical notes, interviews and quality of life questionnaires following the study schedule of assessments. This study also involves the implementation of an auditory-visual sensory stimulation package in the cardiac ICU at ICHT to participants enrolled in the study.

Digital photos will be shown continuously at the patient's bedside (8am-8pm) after cardiac surgery and will always have reference to time and date. Additionally, videos will be played throughout the patient's stay in the ICU at least three times per day (timepoints: 9am, 2pm,7pm) and upon participant request. Videos will be also played when participants show signs of ICU delirium to reduce its incidence and improve overall health outcomes. Simultaneously, data from patients' medical records will be routinely collected by the research team (e.g., Confusion Assessment Method-ICU, Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale, etc.) to assess whether patients develop delirium during their stay in the ICU.

Interviews with patients and families/friends will be held on three different occasions. The first one will be on the same day as ICU discharge, the second interview will be on the day of hospital discharge and the third one will be carried out up to a month following hospital discharge during their clinical follow-up appointment. Where possible, family members/friends and patient interviews will be conducted together (dyadic interviewing), but the possibility of performing interviews separately will be given so that participants feel able to discuss opinions freely. Nurses' interviews will be held as a one-off and after they have provided direct care to participants who received the proposed intervention.

Each patient will be followed up daily on the wards and once at the monthly follow-up clinic after ICU discharge, where cognitive and emotional assessments will be performed to evaluate delirium outcomes. The research team will also collect relevant information from participants' medical notes if any complications post-ICU discharge arise during inpatient and follow-up stages.