Communication needs of patients receiving mechanical ventilation: a pilot study.

Patients experiencing mechanical ventilation are unable to speak while being dependent on others for their physical needs. The purpose of this work is to describe the communication needs of individuals who are mechanically ventilated. This article reports the findings of a pilot study to assess communication needs of ventilated patients and to compare patients' perceptions of their needs with their nurses' perceptions of their needs. Twenty-seven nurse-patient comparisons were generated. The only statistically significant correlation was observed for the needs concerning social stimulation. Nurses and patients did not agree on the patients' communication needs in areas of information-seeking, information-sharing or request for assistance. Further research is needed to verify these findings.