Communication tools among professionals in intensive care: An integrative review

Abstract

Introduction: Communication is important to ensure safety in demands regarding patients, processes and staff in intensive care units (ICUs), a complex area that requires good communication and dynamism in order to achieve positive results for patients. Hence, the identification of tools that may provide improvements in communication among professionals working in the ICU in the scientific literature is essential. Objective: To map in the literature the types of tools for improving communication among professionals in intensive care. Method: Rand integrative vision performed between April and May 2021, with searches in the medline, LILACS and BDENF databases. We used the descriptors: “Patient Safety”; “Intensive Care Units”; “Applications of Medical Informatics”, with Boolean operator “AND”. The search covered articles published between 2016 and 2021, full texts, in the Portuguese, English and Spanish languages. Duplicates, case reports, annals, editorials, letters to the editor, dissertations and theses were excluded. Results: We identified two categories: tools for changes of shift and tools for transfers of care. Conclusions: Communication tools are effective because they reduce the incidence risk of errors in direct patient care.Keywords: Patient safety; Health communication; Intensive Care Units; Applications of medical informatics.