Comparing the Effect of Auditory Stimulation and Tactile on Physiologic Parameters in Patients with LOC Hospitalized in Intensive Care Units: A Semi-Experimental Study

Hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is associated with side effects such as anxiety, pain and fear of an unknown environment and causes hemodynamic instabilities (increased blood pressure, pulse and breathing rates, etc.) These hemodynamic instabilities lead to the use of sensory stimulation programs which can be prevented, however knowing and using the best sensory stimulation program is of particular importance. The current study was carried out with aim of comparing the effect of auditory stimulation and tactile on the physiologic parameters in patients with Level of Consciousness hospitalized in the ICU in ‎Ali-Ebne-Abitaleb Hospital in Zahedan in 2021.

In this single-blind semi experimental study, at first 80 patients in the ICU in Ali-Ebne-Abitaleb Hospital who met the inclusion criteria were selected and then randomly allocated by permutation block into two groups of auditory stimulation and tactile. In the auditory stimulation group, a prepared auditory file was used for 15 minutes for three days. In the tactile group, touching the hands patients was done for 15 minutes for three days. Physiologic parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic pressure, mean arterial pressure and O2 saturation was measured and recorded 5 minutes before and after the intervention by Cardio Set LX110 monitoring.

Findings revealed that the mean of systolic pressure and O2 saturation was not significantly different after the intervention between the two groups (p > 0.05). However, in terms of the variables such as heart rate, respiratory rate, diastolic and mean artery pressure, the independent- T- test showed a significant difference after the intervention between the two groups (p < 0.05).

The application of the two stimulation methos can adjust some physiologic parameters in patients in ICUs. Furthermore, these methods can be used as simple, cost-effective and applicable methods for managing pain and recovering the physiologic parameters.