Abstract

The implementation of more advanced tecnology and patient monitoring in intensive care units has improved the capacity for treatment of patients who reguire intensive care because of life-threatening illnesses. Intensive care often includes the ventilator treatment. The ventilator prevents the patient from sharing thoughts, feelings and needs in the usual way. However patients who are mechanically ventilated are often nonvocal. This status would inevitably affect patients ability to communicate and express themselves in the usual way. The nurses may also experience problems in receiving feedback from patients. Inadeguate nurse-patient communication resuts in increased levels of stres and anxiety. A literature search on patient experience of ventilator treatment identified numerous problems related to communication with nurses and other members of staff. Thus intensive care nursing directs attention to multiple factors which limit communication with the ICU patient, whether the origin is organic, environmental, chemical or associated with other therapeutic components. Establishment of a relationship, including functional communication, during artificial uentilation is important because successful collaboration with the patient is a prerequisite for effectiue nursing. Certain behaviours and devices have been found to facilitate and improve communication between patients and nurses. The most frequently reported are: use of body language, facial expression, eye contact, questions addressed for yes-no responses and the use of writing or publishing material. We conclude that detailed examination of patients' potential for effective communication, evaluation of the communication skills of the nurses, and further investigation of deuices that can help facilitate communication between nurses and patients during ventilator treatment is necded.