Fatores que interferem na comunicação do enfermeiro com o paciente na unidade de terapia intensiva

Abstract

Communication is essential to human life. It is the verbal and non-verbal contact between human beings. Communication is an issue of extreme importance among healthcare professionals when provinding care. The act of communicating is fundamental to nurses and it is inherent to the care process. Technology used in the Intensive Care environment aids in providing critically ill patients with better care. Those patients most often are sedated and thus unable to communicate. With that in mind, this study aims at finding out which factors interfere with the nurse-patient communication in the Intensive Care Unit. In order for that, an integrative review has been conducted, which according to Mendes, Silveira and Galvão (2008) is a method that allows of a summary of many studies already known and general conclusions on a specific field of study, as well as the use of references on Evidence-Based Practice. The analysis of four articles has made it possible to identify factors related to the lack of communication between the nurse and the sedated patient, such as the degree of sedation; duration; lack of the patients expressions; among others. The goal of this study has been achieved, fact that can lead other professionals to think over their performance as nurses, and also bring about new studies on the topic.