An evidence-based and multifactorial communication intervention encompassing staff skills development and training, development of relevant patient materials or devices and collaborations with relevant health professionals like speech and language therapists has the potential to improve nurse-patient communication in the ICU and hence improve patient outcomes.

BackgroundPatients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) often experience communication difficulties - usually associated with mechanical ventilation - resulting in psychological problems such as anxiety, fear, and depression. Good communication between nurses and patients is critical for success from personalised nursing care of each patient. The purpose of this study is to describe nurses’ experience of a communication skills training intervention.MethodsA convenience sample of twenty intensive care nurses participated in the study. Data was collected by means of interviews with nurses. Data from the interviews were analysed using qualitative thematic content analysis.ResultsSix themes emerged: (1) acceptance of knowledge and skills developed during workshops; (2) management support; (3) appreciation of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices; (4) change in attitudes; and (5) the need to share knowledge with others and (6) inclusion of communication skills workshop training as an integral part of an orientation programme for all nurses.ConclusionThe findings of this study indicated that the application of augmentative and alternative communication devices and strategies can improve nurse-patient communication in intensive care units. Therefore, the implementation of communication skills training for intensive care nurses should constantly be encouraged and, indeed, introduced as a key element of ICU care training.

A greater understanding of communication dynamics with the intensive care unit with patients who are mechanically ventilated is crucial to enable nurses to improve their care and improve patients' comfort. Incorporating communication in the nursing standards would ensure that patients are treated with dignity which would help improve patient outcomes.

Pain is among the most common effects of cancer and its treatment. Children and young people with cancer often consider pain from procedures and treatment to be the worst aspect of their illness.This study aimed to i) identify and describe knowledge and attitudes to pain and pain management amongst nurses working with children with cancer and ii) compare the perspectives on pain and pain management of nurses from UK, South Africa and Sweden.at UNIV OF NORTH DAKOTA on June 27, 2015 jrn.sagepub.com Downloaded from 106 nurses working with children with cancer in UK, South Africa and Sweden completed Salanterä's (1999) questionnaire on nurses' attitudes to pain in children.Nurses had good levels of knowledge and positive attitudes to pain management, with Swedish nurses' having higher levels of knowledge and a more positive attitude to pain management than nurses from UK or South Africa.A high level of knowledge was correlated to a more positive attitude to pain management. Knowledge levels need to be improved to ensure more positive attitudes to pain management, especially for nurses in South Africa. Swedish nurses' level of knowledge about non-pharmacological pain management strategies has scope for improvement. British nurses may need to focus more on the sociology and psychology of pain.

Patients in intensive care units require rest and sleep to recuperate, but might suffer from sleep deprivation due to ongoing unit activities. The study aimed to identify and describe the factors contributing to sleep deprivation in one multi-disciplinary intensive care unit (MDICU) in a private hospital in South Africa. Quantitative, descriptive research was conducted to identify factors contributing to sleep deprivation in the research setting, and to make recommendations to enhance these patients' abilities to sleep. Structured interviews were conducted with 34 adult non-ventilated patients who had spent at least one night in the MDICU and who gave informed consent. Out of the 34 interviewed patients 70.6% (n=24) indicated that they suffered from sleep deprivation in the MDICU. The five major factors contributing to sleep deprivation in a MDICU were, (1) not knowing nurses' names, noise caused by alarms, (2) stress, (3) inability to understand medical terms, and (3) blood pressure cuffs that restricted patients' movements and smelled badly. Patients' abilities to sleep were enhanced by reassuring nurses whose names they knew and with whom they could communicate. By attending to the identified five major factors, patients' abilities to sleep in a MDICU could be enhanced enabling patients to recuperate faster. The implementation of such measures need not incur financial costs for the MDICU concerned.