Assessment of Intubated Patients’ Satisfaction Regarding Illustrated Communication Materials through Nurses’ Knowledge and Practice

Abstract

Background: Effective communication is a cornerstone of quality healthcare, yet it becomes significantly challenging in the context of Intubated patients who are unable to verbalize their needs, concerns, or discomfort. This communication barrier can lead to frustration, anxiety, and decreased patient satisfaction, ultimately impacting their overall care experience. Illustrated communication materials, such as picture boards or visual aids, have emerged as a potential solution to bridge this gap, enabling non-verbal communication between patients and healthcare providers. However, the success of these tools largely depends on nurses’ knowledge, training, and consistent practice in utilizing them. Current practices lack standardized training for nurses and systematic evaluation of patient satisfaction regarding illustrated communication materials for intubated patients. Bridging this gap requires focused research on training, implementation, and patient-centered outcomes to enhance communication efficacy. Objectives: 1. To determine the patients’ satisfaction regarding illustrated communication materials among Intubated patients in intensive care unit (ICU). 2. To assess the nurses’ knowledge and practice regarding illustrated communication materials among Intubated patients in intensive care unit (ICU). Methodology: This quasi-experimental study was conducted at Tertiary care Hospital Lahore during October 2023 - June 2024, to assessed intubated patients’ satisfaction with illustrated communication materials through nurses’ knowledge and practice. The study included 62 nurses and 47 intubated patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) >11, selected via purposive sampling. Data were collected using validated tools to measure patient satisfaction (scored 20–100), nurses’ knowledge (scored out of 30), and practice (scored out of 105), categorized into low, moderate, and high levels. Data were entered and analyzed in Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 22.0.). Frequency and percentage were used for demographic variables, than normality test was used to check the distribution of data. The normality test shows data were not normally distributed therefor Man- Whitney U test was used to compared the data. Results: The most patients were aged 31–40 years (31.9%), male (66.0%), married (63.8%), and had primary education (59.6%), while nurses were predominantly aged 31–40 years (43.3%), male (81.7%), and held Post RN/BSN degrees (50.0%). Post-intervention results showed significant improvements: patient satisfaction shifted from 91.5% low satisfaction to 61.7% moderate and 4.3% high satisfaction; nurses’ knowledge improved from 73.3% poor to 83.3% good; and nurses’ practices improved from 65% poor to 90% good. Normality tests indicated non-parametric distributions (p < 0.001), and Mann-Whitney U tests confirmed significant pre-post differences in patient satisfaction (p = 0.000), nurses’ knowledge (p = 0.000), and practices (p = 0.000), demonstrating the intervention’s effectiveness.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated that illustrated communication materials significantly improved intubated patients’ satisfaction and enhanced nurses’ knowledge and practices and notable shift from low to moderate and high patient satisfaction, alongside substantial improvements in nurses’ understanding and application of non-verbal communication tools. Most interventions Implementing such interventions can bridge communication gaps, improve patient outcomes, and elevate the quality of care. Future research should focus on long-term impacts and scalability of these tools across diverse healthcare settings.