Occupational Medicine & Health Affairs
Open Access

Abstract

Background: During stay in an Intensive Care Unit, patients often report their desire to drink fluids, but most of the time it remains undocumented by nurses. Multiple factors responsible for thirst and dry mouth among patients in ICUs are fasting, drugs used during anesthesia or for sedation, endotracheal intubation, surgical intraoperative bleeding, dehydration, patients' age, drugs like diuretics, sedatives, high dose antibiotics, analgesics which stimulate the physiology of thirst and enhance it. Aim: The objectives of the study were to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of intervention bundle on thirst intensity and dry mouth among patients admitted in ICUs and to determine association of selected variables with thirst and dry mouth. Methodology: A true experimental pre-test post-test control group design was used. 60 patients with thirst intensity and dry mouth were selected using convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to experimental and control group using lottery method. Intervention bundle used in the study consisted of cold wet oral swabs to wipe oral cavity and cold-water mouth spray. Intervention bundle administered in two sessions with difference of 30 minutes between sessions to the experimental group patients. Thirst intensity scale and dry mouth assessment scale was used to thirst and dry mouth of patients. Data collection was done in December 2016. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: The findings of the study revealed that after administration of intervention bundle in two sessions, the mean thirst intensity score was significantly lower (t=-13.0, df=58, p=0.001**) in experimental group (mean=3.10±0.75) than control group (6.70±0.59). The mean dry mouth score was significantly lower (85t=-9.27, df=58, p=0.001**) in experimental group (0.37±0 than control group (3.67±0.84). There was a significant association of patients with renal system diagnosis(p=0.007), gastrointestinal diagnosis with thirst (p=0.009) in experimental group, patients with nil per oral status (0.02) and patients having drainage tube with dry mouth (0.009) in experimental group and patients’ ICU duration stay, antihypertensive drugs, antibiotics drugs, multivitamin drugs with dry mouth (0.007) in control group. Conclusion & Significance: Intervention bundle was effective in decreasing thirst intensity and dry mouth among ICU patients. The study focuses on use of intervention bundle by nurses to relieve thirst intensity and dry mouth among patients. References 1.Nelson J E, Meier D E, Oei E J, Nierman D M, Senzel R S, Manfredi P L, et al. (2001) Self-reported symptom experience of critically ill cancer patients receiving intensive care. Crit. Care Med; 29(2): 277-82. 2.Stotts N A, Arai S R, Cooper B A, Nelson J E, Puntillo K A (2015) Predictors of thirst in intensive care unit patients. J Pain Symptom Manage; 49(3): 530-8. 3.Hatch R, McKechnie S, Griffiths J (2011) Psychological intervention to prevent ICU-related PTSD: who, when and for how long? Crit Care; 15(2): 141. 4.Puntillo K, Arai S R, Cooper B A, Stotts N A, Nelson J E (2014) A randomized clinical trial of an intervention to relieve thirst and dry mouth in intensive care unit patients. Intensive Care Med; 40(9): 1295-302. 5.Arai S R, Butzlaff A, Stotts N A, Puntillo K A (2014) Quench the Thirst: Lessons From Clinical Thirst Trials. Biol Res Nurs; 16(4): 456-66.

Biography

Shikha Gulia is currently pursuing MSc in Medical Surgical Nursing (Neuroscience Nursing) specialty at Maharishi Markandeshwar University, India. Her research interest includes thirst and dry mouth among patients admitted in ICUs. Her approach would increase and update knowledge of nurses regarding safety protocol for patients who have increasing thirst intensity and dry mouth in ICU and would enable nurses to provide oral care with better therapeutic and patient satisfaction results.