Patient Communication Linked to Health Care Treatment, New Study Shows
A recent study revealed an increased level of frustration experienced by hospital patients who must be mechanically ventilated and are therefore unable to speak.
(PRWEB) October 1, 2004 -- A recent medical study published in the
September/October 2004 issue of “Heart and Lung” medical journal shows that a
majority of patients who need to be mechanically ventilated experience high
levels of frustration with their inability to effectively communicate their
needs and questions. The undue stress and anxiety and potential complications
caused by this patient communication barrier can subsequently affect the
treatment and experience of the nonverbal patient and possibly lead to prolonged
hospital stay.
The study was comprised of 29 previously intubated
patients. The patients participated in a consensual interview consisting of a
13-question survey intended to obtain in-depth qualitative data on the patients’
communication needs and barriers while being mechanically ventilated. The survey
also evaluated the perceived helpfulness of Vidatak’s EZ Board, a patient communication device targeted toward nonverbal
patients.
After an in-depth analysis, the results showed 62 percent of
the patients surveyed reported high levels of frustration associated with their
inability to effectively communicate while being mechanically
ventilated.
Doug Logan, a former cardiac patient, expressed a similar
situation during his hospital stay at an east coast hospital. “[The nurse came
in, turned the TV on to some talk show, and turned up the volume to max so she
could hear it at her desk. Since it was impossible to sleep, I began
experimenting with my breathing. I noticed that I could get more oxygen if I
breathed a little faster. The nurse eventually came over and said, ‘Well, I
thought we'd be able to take the tube out pretty soon, but your breathing is
erratic. We'll have to leave it in’. I immediately began shaking my head and
making writing motions with my hand. She said, ‘No, no. We never give pen and
paper to patients in the ICU. The notes never make sense, and you won't remember
anyway.’ She walked off, and that was that.”
Though Mr. Logan was not one
of the 29 patients surveyed, his account only strengthens the findings of the
study. The need for health care providers to intervene with patient communication was the overall theme of the surveyed
patients’ responses.
The conclusions from the study recommended five
interventions that may help in facilitating patient communication. According
to the study, health care practitioners should:
• Be educated regarding
the level of frustration that mechanically ventilated patients experience when
communicating
• Routinely ask patients short, “yes” and “no” questions about
their feelings and state of mind
• Be attentive to the mechanically
ventilated patients, inform them of the plan of care, and establish a return
time when they leave the bedside
• Approach patients with a kind and patient
demeanor, and investigate their communication needs
• Provide writing
materials and read the patient’s words as they write
“A patient’s written
words represent invaluable thoughts during such a critical period in their
life,” said Dr. Lance Patak, President of Vidatak, LLC and principal
investigator in the study. “It is therefore important that health care providers
keep writing tools available for the patient, and that the writings be
read.”
This study also demonstrated that the EZ Board developed by
Vidatak is a tool that makes patient communication
effortless, effective and speedy. The patient simply points to the text and
icons to convey their message, or writes on it with the provided dry erase
markers. The light-weight, portable, non-electronic patient communication device features preprinted text for
expressing basic feelings and needs and literal text that was selected and
designed by patients who had experienced mechanical ventilation. The Vidatak EZ
Board is the only research-based patient communication device
available to assist with patient communication in the
acute care setting. With benefits ranging from being able to identify nonverbal
patient’s needs, feelings, or state of mind, to asking about procedures
beforehand, caretakers who intervene using the Vidatak EZ Board can greatly
affect the comfort and satisfaction of their patients.
For more
information regarding the study and the EZ Board, visit www.Vidatak.com. View the EZ
Board news release at http://emediawire.com/releases/2004/10/emw161101.htm.
About
Vidatak, LLC:
Established in 1999, Vidatak Enterprises began distributing
their augmentative patient communication products
to hospitals all over the country. By 2003, Vidatak had changed its name,
ownership, and business models. Now, Vidatak, LLC continues to present their
research findings and critical care patient communication aids at
various conferences, seeking distributors in critical care, rehabilitation
medicine, and speech pathology/therapy.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/11/prweb173452.htm