Facilitators, barriers and acceptability of implementing a communication board in Sri Lankan intensive care units: A qualitative descriptive study

Objectives

To explore patients’ and nurses’ views of potential facilitators, barriers, and prospective acceptability of implementing a communication board in Sri Lankan intensive care units.

Design

A qualitative, descriptive study.

Research methodology

Eight patients who received mechanical ventilation and nine nurses who worked in adult medical and surgical intensive care units were purposively selected. Data were collected via audio-taped, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews in January/February 2023. Interview guide questions were informed by the knowledge-to-action framework and the theoretical framework of acceptability. Data were analysed using inductive and deductive content analysis. The 32-item checklist of the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) was used to ensure the quality of reporting.

Setting

A 3,000 bed Sri Lankan teaching hospital with 18 intensive care units.

Findings

Four categories reflecting patients’ and nurses’ anticipated use of the board were found. The first category described patients’ and nurses’ ‘readiness to use the communication board’ and their positive attitudes towards it. The second category focused on the ‘potential benefits of the communication board’, while the third category emphasised the ‘individual patient characteristics’ that should be taken into consideration when implementing communication boards. The final category described practical aspects related to ‘integrating communication boards into routine practice’.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates communication boards may improve communication between ventilated patients and nurses, and they are acceptable to end users. Adopting these tools may be a pivotal step to enhancing patient-centred care in demanding intensive care settings.

Implications for clinical practice

An inability to communicate effectively with ventilated intensive care patients creates negative experiences for both patients and nurses. Communication boards may act as a medium to better understand patients’ needs during mechanical ventilation. Understanding patients’ and nurses’ views is beneficial when designing patient-centred communication interventions in intensive care units.