Nursing team and communication with tracheostomized patients

PURPOSE:

to identify nursing teams perceptions on the importance of communication in tracheostomized patients' care.

METHODS:

quantitative, qualitative study. Sample entailed 51 nursing team members (nursing assistants, nursing technicians and nurses), from Male and Female Wards, Adult, Neurosurgical ICU and SDU, at a teaching hospital in Curitiba, Paraná State/Brazil. Information was gathered by means of a questionnaire with open and closed questions. Statistically significant chi-square test (p<0.05) was considered in the association between quantitative variables, and qualitative data were submitted to content analysis.

RESULTS:

data evidenced that participants have varied experience in their professional practice, observing in their daily practice, the need and importance of interaction with tracheostomized patients for their recovery. Results pointed out that Nursing Assistants and Technicians have obtained more instructions than nurses themselves (p=0.028).

CONCLUSION:

it was evidenced that participants in the study use varied communicative strategies, such as gestures, signs and written communication when verbal communication to those patients is not possible.

Communication; Tracheostomy; Care Humanization; Nursing Team; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences