“Our findings challenge the commonly held assumption of many clinicians and researchers that these patients are unable to communicate or participate in their care,” INQRI grantee and study co-author Mary Beth Happ said in a statement. Happ is a professor of nursing at The Ohio State University.
The study found that 53.9 percent of the patients screened met basic communication criteria and could possibly benefit from the use of assistive communication tools and speech language consultation, including such simple tools as notepads and pens.
“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,” said Happ.
The study, which involved screening nearly 3,000 mechanically ventilated patients over a two year period, appears in the January/February 2015 issue of the journal Heart & Lung and is co-authored with Happ’s colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh. The study is co-funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Happ’s previous INQRI work includes the study “SPEACS2: Improving Patient Communication and Quality Outcomes in the ICU,” which examined the value of a nurse-generated and nurse-led innovation by testing the impact of a computer-based nurse communication training and materials program (SPEACS-2) on intensive care unit patient care outcomes. The interdisciplinary research team included Amber Barnato, who also co-authors Happ’s current research.
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