Problems of communication barriers by patients with tracheotomy in intensive care units

The thesis is aimed at the problems of communication barriers in patients with tracheotomy at intensive care units. Communication is the basis of nursing care and nursing process is based on partnership relation between a nurse and a patient. Everybody who wants to communicate sometimes faces problems, obstacles complicating his/her interpersonal communication. Recognition of these obstacles is the first step leading to their overcoming. Tracheostomy disqualifies the glottal function and patients are not able to communicate by means of speech. Such a situation is new for the patients and is also very stressing, which is why these patients have to be paid extra attention and these problems have to be dealt with. The aims of the work and the hypotheses were focused on the area of communication barriers, but also on adherence to the effective communication principles and alternative ways of communication. The goal was to find mutual dependence between the individual variables. Quantitative research extended by qualitative research was used for reaching the goals. An important relation was proven in hypothesis number two upon the results of statistic examination. The fact that the communication barriers perceived by a nurse depend on the character of the department where the nurse works was found. Some relation was also proven in hypothesis number eight, which examined dependence of alternative ways of communication on the character of the hospital department. No dependence relation was found in the other hypotheses. An analysis of results obtained from nurses and from patients showed us that nurses realize many more communication barriers in patients than patients themselves. A hypothesis expressing a relation between selection of an alternative communication method and the overall patient condition arose from the qualitative research