A comparison of patientsʹ communication-related responses during intubation and after extubation

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this exploratory pilot study was to examine patientsʹ communication-related responses during intubation and after extubation, and to determine whether differences in patientsʹ report of responses at these two points in time, if present, were associated with demographic and situational variables. : Descriptive comparative. G: Four intensive care units in a midwestern, university-affiliated medical center. TS: Convenience sample of 29 patients intubated for 24 or more hours, alert and oriented to person, place, and setting during intubation and after extubation. E MEASURES: Emotional responses (anger and worry/fear) to being unable to speak, perceived difficulty with communication. S: Paired t tests showed no significant differences over time in the mean scores of the Emotion subscales and Ease of Communication scale. However, more than 30% of subjects reported postextubation responses that were different from their earlier responses by 20% or more. Significant differences in subjectsʹ worry/fear at being unable to speak and difficulty with communication were found in relation to history of prior intubation and total number of days intubated. Subjects varied in the number of days that they were intubated, and the number of days intubated when they first participated in the study. SIONS: Results provide direction for larger longitudinal prospective and retrospective studies with larger samples that examine patientsʹ recall of their responses during intubation, especially related to communication.