In Chile, the assessment of delirium in pediatric critical care units is a dependent activity from nurses, thus prevention, assessment and management it comes challenging to this units. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effectiveness of the application of the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD) scale in the detection and early management of delirium. METHODOLOGY: A systematic bibliographic search was carried out using the following databases: Cochrane, Biblioteca digital Universidad de Chile, PubMed, Lilacs, EBSCOHost and Epistemonikos, in English and Spanish, between 2012 and 2020. The results were analyzed with CASPe or STROBE tools according to the study type. 13 articles that meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria were used. RESULTS: The evidence shows, on the one hand, that the use of screening tools contributes to an early detection of delirium and, on the other hand, CAPD scale is an instrument with high evidence that supports its use over other scales. CONCLUSION: The use of the CAPD scale has a positive impact on the detection and early management of delirium, however, it is recommended that there is also an education process and support for nurses on prevention, detection and management of delirium.