Abstract

Objective: Receiving the opinions of patients regarding intensive care environment forms a basis for providing a therapeutic intensive care environment. The study was conducted for the purpose of examining the opinions of patients hospitalized in thorax surgical intensive care unit regarding intensive care environment.

Study Plan: This descriptive study was conducted with 100 patients in the thorax surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital.

Materials and Methods: The patients who were hospitalized in the intensive care unit for at least 24 hours, extubated within two or four hours in the postoperative period, and could understand and answer the questions were included in the sample group. In the study, the “Form for Determining the Opinions of Patients Regarding Intensive Care Environment” was used for determining the opinions of the patients regarding intensive care environment.

Results: Age average of the patients who participated in the study was 49±16. They were hospitalized in the intensive care unit for three days, on average. Majority of the patients stated that illumination level and ambient temperature in the intensive care unit were normal (88%) and the stress level was not disturbing (86%). Almost all the patients (96%) stated that they were worried about their families and 66% wanted their families to stay with them all the time. Majority of the patients indicated that they could easily talk to nurses (97%) and doctors (75%) about their problems and 96% stated that their privacy was respected in the intensive care unit.

Conclusion: The results of the study show that the patients had positive opinions regarding intensive care environment.