Communication App Helps Patients Voice Their Needs
|
By HospiMedica International staff writers Posted on 19 Sep 2016 |
|
Image: The “Speak for Myself” tablet-based communication application (Photo courtesy of Florida Atlantic University).
An innovative tablet-based application offers intubated and ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients a way to converse with their medical staff.
The “Speak for Myself” app enables a patient to communicate to the ICU or critical care staff pain levels, feelings of fear and loneliness, and physical needs, such as suctioning, repositioning needs, and requests for toileting. When a patient touches the screen to indicate the location of pain on a body graphic, a voice says ‘it hurts here’ and indicates pain levels experienced. Patients can also type single words, phrases, or full sentences to communicate their needs. The software is also predictive so that if a patient begins to enter a word, the program will anticipate and present likely solutions.
A pilot study of the app, conducted at Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, USA), demonstrated the importance of communication, as well as the disconnect between what health care providers think patients want to say and what they actually want to communicate. In one example, a patient who reported unresolved pain in the back of his throat had a twisted nasogastric tube that was causing distress. The study was published in the August 2016 issue of Computers, Informatics, Nursing.
“While writing boards and other traditional methods may be helpful, important information is often lost. Furthermore, allowing others to speak for the patient has its limitations,” said study co-author Professor Ruth Tappen, EdD, RN. “It is accurate to assert that with enhanced communication, patients will have less frustration, their pain will be better controlled, and they will have a greater opportunity to participate in their own care.”
There are almost 800,000 patients in the United States alone who are intubated and require mechanical ventilation annually. More than half of these patients are awake, alert, and desperately attempting to communicate with ward nurses and physicians, and with their loved ones. Current methods to assist these patients with their communication needs are either antiquated, time consuming, or cumbersome.
Related Links:
Florida Atlantic University
The “Speak for Myself” app enables a patient to communicate to the ICU or critical care staff pain levels, feelings of fear and loneliness, and physical needs, such as suctioning, repositioning needs, and requests for toileting. When a patient touches the screen to indicate the location of pain on a body graphic, a voice says ‘it hurts here’ and indicates pain levels experienced. Patients can also type single words, phrases, or full sentences to communicate their needs. The software is also predictive so that if a patient begins to enter a word, the program will anticipate and present likely solutions.
A pilot study of the app, conducted at Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, USA), demonstrated the importance of communication, as well as the disconnect between what health care providers think patients want to say and what they actually want to communicate. In one example, a patient who reported unresolved pain in the back of his throat had a twisted nasogastric tube that was causing distress. The study was published in the August 2016 issue of Computers, Informatics, Nursing.
“While writing boards and other traditional methods may be helpful, important information is often lost. Furthermore, allowing others to speak for the patient has its limitations,” said study co-author Professor Ruth Tappen, EdD, RN. “It is accurate to assert that with enhanced communication, patients will have less frustration, their pain will be better controlled, and they will have a greater opportunity to participate in their own care.”
There are almost 800,000 patients in the United States alone who are intubated and require mechanical ventilation annually. More than half of these patients are awake, alert, and desperately attempting to communicate with ward nurses and physicians, and with their loved ones. Current methods to assist these patients with their communication needs are either antiquated, time consuming, or cumbersome.
Related Links:
Florida Atlantic University
Gold Member
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Sample-To-Answer Test
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Cartridge (CE-IVD)
New
Resorbable Bovine Collagen Membrane
GenDerm
New
Multi-Chamber Washer-Disinfector
WD 390
Channels
Artificial Intelligence
view channel
Machine Learning Approach Enhances Liver Cancer Risk Stratification
Hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of primary liver cancer, is often detected late despite targeted surveillance programs. Current screening guidelines emphasize patients with known cirrhosis,... Read more
New AI Approach Monitors Brain Health Using Passive Wearable Data
Brain health spans cognitive and emotional functions and can fluctuate even in adults without diagnosed disease. Detecting early changes remains difficult in routine care and burdens specialty services... Read more
Critical Care
view channel
Noninvasive Monitoring Device Enables Earlier Intervention in Heart Failure
Hospitalizations for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remain common because lung congestion often worsens before symptoms prompt treatment changes. Missed early decompensation... Read more
Automated IV Labeling Solution Improves Infusion Safety and Efficiency
Medication administration in high-acuity settings is often complicated by multiple concurrent infusions, making accurate line identification essential. In a 10-hospital intensive care unit study, 60% of... Read more
Surgical Techniques
view channel
Continuous Monitoring with Wearables Enhances Postoperative Patient Safety
Postoperative hypoxemia on general surgical wards is common and often missed by intermittent vital sign checks. Undetected low oxygen levels can delay recovery and raise the risk of complications that... Read more
New Approach Enables Customized Muscle Tissue Without Biomaterial Scaffolds
Volumetric muscle loss is a traumatic loss of skeletal muscle that often leads to permanent functional impairment and limited reconstructive options. Current experimental strategies struggle to deliver... Read more
Patient Care
view channel
Wearable Sleep Data Predict Adherence to Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a long-term lung disorder that makes breathing difficult and often disturbs sleep, reducing energy for daily activities. Limited engagement in pulmonary... Read more
Revolutionary Automatic IV-Line Flushing Device to Enhance Infusion Care
More than 80% of in-hospital patients receive intravenous (IV) therapy. Every dose of IV medicine delivered in a small volume (<250 mL) infusion bag should be followed by subsequent flushing to ensure... Read more
Business
view channel
GE HealthCare Leads Major European Initiative to Advance Cardio-Oncology Care
Cardiovascular complications are increasingly recognized among people undergoing or recovering from cancer treatment, driven by pre‑existing disease and the cardiotoxic effects of chemotherapy, radiotherapy,... Read more
