Effects of touch on agitation in patients under mechanical ventilation

 Introduction: Patients following mechanical ventilation go down to agitation due to anxiety, stress and stimulation of tracheal tube, that may be treat in doing of mechanical ventilation processes and can be create dyspnea, confusion and inability. Control of agitation with drug and physical restrictions have much unpleasant complication. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of touch on agitation in patients under mechanical ventilation. Materials and Methods: The semi-experimental research was performed in a general intensive cares unit in a hospital in Tehran in 2011. The data collection tools were including demographic questionnaire, Glasgow coma scale and Richmond agitation score scale. 35 consciousness patients under mechanical ventilation with 30-60 years old and acute respiratory problems were investigated. Firstly, the patient's agitation was evaluated and then intervention performed in two ways:(a) with standing and touching patient's wrist and (b) with standing without touching of patient's wrist.  Results: From 35 patients, 21 (60%) and 14 (40%) were respectively men and female. Minimum and maximum age was respectively 35 and 60 years. Most of the patients were ranged in the age group of 50 years or more (57.1%) and then 40 to 49 years group (17.2%) and 25.7% of the patients were under 40 years old. In standing without touching patient's wrist intervention, agitation scores before and after intervention had no significant difference (P=0.592), while as, with standing and touching patient's wrist intervention this difference was significant (P