Impact of familiar sensory stimulation on level of Consciousness in patients with head injury in ICU

The effects of musical stimulation on the level of consciousness among patients with head trauma hospitalized in intensive care units: A randomized control trial

BACKGROUND

Improvement in the level of consciousness (LOC) is considered as an indicator of recovery among patients with head trauma (HT). musical stimulation is a simple noninvasive intervention with potential positive effects on LOC. This study evaluated the effects of musical stimulation on LOC among patients with HT hospitalized in intensive care unit.

METHODS

This clinical trial was conducted in 2018-2019. Fifty-four patients with HT were purposively and consecutively recruited from two trauma intensive care units in Qazvin, Iran, and randomly allocated to a control (n = 27) and an intervention (n = 27) group. Participants in the intervention group received fifteen-minute musical stimulation once daily for seven consecutive days using an MP3 player and a headphone for their counterparts, the headphones were silent for 15 min without receiving any musical stimulation once daily for seven consecutive days. A demographic questionnaire, the Glasgow Coma Scale, and the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale were used for data collection. LOC was daily assessed before and after each musical stimulation session. The SPSS program (v. 23.0) was used for data analysis at a significance level of less than 0.05.

FINDINGS

There were significant between-group differences respecting the posttest mean score of LOC in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh days of the study intervention (P < 0.05)., the posttest mean score of LOC in the intervention group significantly increased in the intervention group (P < 0.0001), while it did not significantly change in the control group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

musical stimulation is effective in significantly improving LOC among hospitalized patients with HT. Therefore, it can be used as a non-expensive noninvasive intervention to improve treatment outcomes among these patients.

Effect of Programmed Family Presence in Coronary Care Units on Patients' and Families' Anxiety

Introduction: Hospitalization of patients in the intensive care units always has negative consequences such as anxiety and concern for patients and their families. This study aimed to investigate the effect of programmed family presence in intensive care units on patients’ and families’ anxiety.

Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in Iran. The eligible patients and a member of their families were assigned into two groups (N = 80) through convenience sampling. The family members in the experimental group were allowed to attend twice a day for 15 minutes in a planned way beside the patient and contribute to their clinical primary care. In the control group, the family members had a strict limitation to visit their patients based on the usual policy. Anxiety in both groups at the beginning and on the third day of patient’s admission was measured, using Spielberger’s questionnaire. The data were analyzed with SPSS version13.

Results: The mean score of anxiety in the control group did not show significant difference in patients and in families, however it had decreased significantly in the experimental group after the intervention for both patients and families. The results showed that mean differences between the two groups was statistically significant in patients and families.

Conclusion: The planned presence of the family of patients in coronary care unit (CCU) played a crucial role in reducing the anxiety of patients and their family. Furthermore, it is recommended that strategies of visiting policy in intensive care units (ICUs) should be revised and the possibility be provided for the families’ planned presence and participation in the patient care.