FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF DELIRIUM IN ADULTS ADMITTED TO INTENSIVE CARE UNITS: A SCOPING REVIEW

Delirium is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome frequently observed in adult patients admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs), characterized by disturbances in attention, consciousness, and cognition. It is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including prolonged ICU and hospital stays, increased duration of mechanical ventilation, higher mortality rates, and reduced functional capacity and quality of life after discharge. Despite its clinical relevance, delirium remains underdiagnosed, highlighting the need to deepen the understanding of factors associated with its development. This study aims to map the available scientific evidence on factors associated with the development of delirium in adult patients admitted to ICUs. This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the methodological recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The research question was developed using the Population, Concept, and Context (PCC) framework. Searches will be performed in the MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, LILACS, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and SciELO databases, as well as in grey literature sources. Studies will be included without restrictions regarding methodological design, language, or publication period, provided they are available in full text and address factors associated with delirium in adult ICU patients. Study selection will be carried out by independent reviewers using the Rayyan software, and the search and selection process will be reported according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Data extraction will be performed descriptively, including publication characteristics, methodological aspects, and main findings, with synthesis structured according to the PAGER framework. The results are expected to identify modifiable and non-modifiable factors associated with delirium, contributing to evidence-based clinical practice, particularly in nursing care, aimed at prevention, early detection, and effective management of delirium in intensive care settings.