A comparative study about the impact of sensory stimulation performed by family members and nurses on vital signs of patients at ICU: A randomized clinical trial

ABSTRACT Some studies have shown the effects of sensory stimulation on vital signs of patients at intensive care unit (ICU). However, little knowledge is available about family role compared to the role of nursing staff in this issue and current results are controversial.. The aim of this study is to compare the impact of sensory stimulation performed by family members and nurses on vital signs of patients at ICU. In this study, 9669 patients were categorized into two intervention groups and one control group by stratified block randomization method. Dyang sensory stimulation was provided by family members and nursing staff. No intervention was performed for control group. Sensory stimulation was performed 2 hours a day for 6 consecutive days. The vital signs were assessed 5 minutes before and 30 minutes after intervention.Data analysis was performed by ANCOVA, ANOVA and repeated measures. The results showed that there was significant difference between the experimental groups in terms of vital signs before and after the intervention (p<0.001). Of this aspect, family group was the best, nursing group was the second and control group was the last group in classification. The effect of sensory stimulation on vital signs of comatose patients was greater when provided by family members.