Applied nursing research : ANR
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Some patients receiving mechanical ventilation experience an intensified need to communicate while their ability to do so is compromised as the endotracheal tube prevents speech. Although the use of a communication board to enhance communication with such patients has been suggested, few descriptive or empirical studies have addressed the content and format of these devices or of patients' perspectives on decreasing frustration with communication. ⋯ Most patients receiving mechanical ventilation experienced a moderate to a high level of frustration when communicating their needs. In this study, a communication board, if used patiently during mechanical ventilation, has been shown to alleviate frustration with communication. Patients have specific ideas about what terms and ideograms are useful for a communication board. Further research is needed to test the effects of a communication board and other methods of facilitating communication on outcomes such as satisfaction and anxiety of patients, adequate and appropriate management of pain, and length of mechanical ventilation time and hospital stay.
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Little is known about the symptoms of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). This pilot study prospectively evaluated the perceptions on nine symptoms (pain, dyspnea, thirst, nausea, hunger, tiredness, anxiety, generalized discomfort, and depressed feelings) of ICU patients receiving ventilation and examined their relationships. ⋯ It suggests that attention to the multiple symptoms that ICU patients experience is needed to improve their overall comfort. Further research is needed to evaluate and validate the relationships among these symptoms and their impact on the health outcomes of ICU patients.
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Patient surveillance during the postoperative period has traditionally consisted of the collection of routine and regulated vital signs, supported by observations of other aspects of a patient's recovery. The purpose of this research was to determine if the frequent collection of postoperative vital signs assisted in detecting postoperative complications in the first 24 hours after a patient has returned to the ward setting. The study involved: (1) a survey of policy documents; (2) observations of postoperative nursing care; and (3) an audit of medical records. Major findings revealed that vital signs are collected based on tradition and are collected routinely, and there may not be a relationship between vital-signs collection and the occurrence or detection of complications.