Opportunities for Interactive Communication in Mechanically Ventilated Critically Ill Patients: A Video-Based Observational Study

Akiko Yamaguchi; Atsue Ishii; Haruna Fukushige; Yoshiaki Inoue; Izumi Akada; Rie Mitani; Akiko Ito; Mio Hosona; Sayaka Suga; Akiko Yamada; Yoko Arima

doi:10.1155/2022/1885938

Opportunities for Interactive Communication in Mechanically Ventilated Critically Ill Patients: A Video-Based Observational Study

Nurs Res Pract. 2022 Jul 14:2022:1885938. doi: 10.1155/2022/1885938. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nursing, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe University, 7-10-2 Tomogaoka, Suma-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 654-0142, Japan.
² Department of Information and Communications Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
³ Department of Human Care Science, Graduate School of Nursing, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-5-17 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, Osaka 545-0051, Japan.
⁴ Department of Nursing, Higashi Takarazuka Satoh Hospital, 2-1 Nagao-cho, Takarazuka, Hyogo 665-0873, Japan.
⁵ Department of Nursing, Kawasaki Hospital, 3-3-1 Higasiyama-cho, Hyogo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 652-0042, Japan.

Abstract

Background: Mechanically ventilated critically ill patients need the opportunity to communicate their physical and psychosocial concerns to nurses. However, these patients face the unique problem of lacking even the opportunity to communicate.

Aims: The study aimed to describe the characteristics of communication opportunities for critically ill mechanically ventilated patients.

Methods: The study was designed as a video-based descriptive observational study. Participants included seven mechanically ventilated critically ill patients at the intensive care unit, coronary care unit, or high care unit who were conscious and seven registered nurses (seven pairs). Videos were recorded continuously from 8 am to 4 pm, and the footage was then descriptively analyzed. Data collection took place between July 2019 and June 2020.

Results: The total recording time was 668.0 minutes. Of these 668.0 minutes, nurses stayed in the Conversation Area of the Patient for 279.6 minutes, and of these 279.6 minutes, two-way face-to-face communication between nurse and patient occurred for 78.0 minutes. Of these 78.0 minutes, communications were started by nurses for 47.2 minutes (174 scenes) and by patients for 24.2 minutes (36 scenes). The patient-started two-way communication scenes included 37 instances of Patient-Intentional-Action that triggered the start of communication. Actions using the upper limbs were observed in 20 instances and represented the most frequently used body part. The head/face, lower limbs, or trunk were also used in some of the actions. Gestures were the most commonly used action type (14 instances). Other types included lip movement, grimace, leg flex/extension, and cough.

Conclusions: We found that nurses tended to start communication more frequently than patients did and that patients demonstrated Patient-Intentional-Action with a variety of actions using various body parts. Communication opportunities for patients were created when nurses took the initiative to start communication or when they noticed and responded to the Patient-Intentional-Action. Our findings demonstrate that nurses need to recognize and always respond to Patient-Intentional-Action and to take the initiative in communicating rather than waiting for the patient to do so.