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| Author | Claire Bellizzi |
| Abstract | This descriptive, non-experimental study aimed to investigate the communication of critical care nurses with the critically ill patients, with the latter experiencing barriers to communication. The barriers effecting communication comprised of sedation and mechanical ventilation. The study took place in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a Maltese General Hospital. While exploring nurse-patient communication in ICU, the study sought to assess the time a critical care nurse spent verbally communicating with the critically ill patients, the content of nurse's communication with the critically ill and the methods of communication nurses frequently used with such patients. Six nurses satisfying the eligibility criteria to voluntary participation were conveniently selected. Findings suggest that nurses are well aware of the importance of communication, but despite of this awareness, communication between nurses and their patients revealed to be relatively low even among nurses who ranked their levels of communication with their patients as high. Most of this communication consisted of short-term informative content concerned with informing the patient of immediate procedural matters or providing reassurance. The methods of communication frequently used by nurses were shown to be verbal communication succeeded by eye-contact and touch. Amongst various recommendations made regards education, practice and further research, it was recommended that more emphasis is made on the importance of communication, the initiation and update of courses on communication, and further research regards such field for a better understanding and practice of good communication. |
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| Key words | Communication, Nurse, Patient, Thesis, ICU |