Study Suggests ICU Participants Could Participate In Their Own Care

New findings conducted by researchers at Ohio State University show that over half of the patients in intensive care units (ICU) on ventilators that help them breathe could benefit from assistive communication tools.

Findings revealed that about 53.9 percent of the 2,671 mechanically ventilated patients screened met basic communication criteria that could bring assistive communication tools and speech language consultation assistance. Furthermore, these tools could be as simple as a notepad and pen that would allow a patient to write requests and questions.

For the study, researchers classified patients as meeting basic communication criteria if they were alert and responsive to verbal communication from clinicians for at least one 12-hour shift while receiving mechanical ventilation for two days or more. Two hospitals who used mechanical ventilation over a two-year period were involved in the study.

"Our findings challenge the commonly held assumption of many clinicians and researchers that these patients are unable to communicate or participate in their care," said Mary Beth Happ, co-author of the study and distinguished professor of nursing at The Ohio State University, in a news release.  "Establishing lines of communication is the first step in a patient being able to make his or her needs known and have accurate symptom assessment and management, and contributes to an overall better patient experience. We know from interviews with patients who remember their critical care experience that the inability to communicate is anxiety producing and, in some cases, terrifying."

"We need to change the culture of care teams in the ICU to better address communication support needs," she said. "We often don't have the necessary tools at the bedside, and it does require a certain skill level on the part of the clinician to be able to assist patients without both parties becoming very frustrated."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Heart & Lung.

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