The effect of using augmentative and alternative communication strategies on the quality of nurses’ communication with patients with endotracheal intubation in the cardiac surgery intensive care unit

Physiological and psychological needs of intensive care unit (ICU) patients are not met due to lack of effective communication. To facilitate communication, nurses can use augmentative and alternative communication strategies (AACs). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of using these strategies on the quality of nurses’ communication with patients with endotracheal intubation in the cardiac surgery intensive care units.

 In this quasi-experimental intervention study with before-after design, 70 patients (35 at each stage) who were unable to communicate verbally after heart surgery due to intubation were recruited by the convenience sampling method, and also 10 nurses in the cardiac surgery ICU were randomly selected. In the pre-intervention stage, nurses communicated with patients using conventional methods, and after training in the post-intervention stage, using AACs. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics through the SPSS software version 22.

The lowest content of communication in the pre- and post-intervention stages was related to emotions, the frequency of which was higher in the post-intervention stage compared to the pre-intervention stage. The most commonly used methods in the post-intervention phase were the communication board and head gesture. In both stages, communication was mostly initiated by the patient. In the post-intervention stage, the number of times the nurse started the communication increased (P<0.05). In the post-intervention phase, patients’ and nurses’ satisfaction with communication increased (P=0.0001).

Training nurses about AACs and using them for the ICU patients increase the success of communication and patients’ and nurses’ satisfaction with communication. Therefore, the use of these strategies in these wards is recommended to nurses and nursing managers.