Communication with the critical patient in the critical care unit
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0214e.32763Keywords:
augmentative and alternative communication; communication; intensive care unitAbstract
Introduction: Communication is the basis of human interaction and, therefore, an essential tool in any institution. Health professionals who provide care in Intensive Medicine Services (ICU) sometimes struggle to communicate with critically ill patients, making it essential to adopt strategies that facilitate the process of communication, such as Augmentative and AlternativeCommunication(AAC).
Objective: Evaluate the knowledge of health professionals about communication with the critically ill while identifying barriers and communication facilitators.
Methods: A review of the scientific literature was carried out, and a questionnaire on “Communication with the Critically Ill” was developed and then applied to a sample of 46 health professionals from the ICU.
Results: 89% of the sample professionals consider communication a primary resource in providing care, 63% are unaware of the AAC, 91% struggle with understanding what the patient transmits, and 52% feel frustrated for being unable to establish bidirectional communication. The main barriers to communication mentioned were the lack of training in communication techniques, the lack of material resources, and the patient's state of consciousness.
Conclusion: Health professionals have knowledge gaps when communicating with the critically ill; however, according to the literature, the adoption of AAC tools and strategies, as well as training actions, have been confirmed as an important learning strategy in the transmission of knowledge.
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