The effects of preparatory sensory information on ICU patients

Preparatory sensory information (PSI) has been found to have significant effects in reducing distress, tension, restlessness, negative moods, and anxiety, and also in reducing length of postoperative hospitalization during various threatening medical events, but no evidence has demonstrated the effect of PSI on a patient during ICU hospitalization. On the basis of Lazarus' theory, a structural equation model was developed to examine the role of the nursing intervention, PSI, as a significant factor influencing patients' processes of cognitive appraisals and coping, adaptational responses, and patient care outcomes during ICU hospitalization. The analytical model examined the net effect of PSI on outcomes, controlling for the effects of mastery, interpersonal trust, social support, socioeconomic status, severity of illness, age, and gender. A quasi-experiment was executed in four large acute care hospitals. Data were collected from 41 subjects in the control group and from 42 in the treatment group receiving PSI before ICU admission. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed analytic model. The initial tests of model fit indicate that the original model did not fit the data well with GFI = 0.85, AGFI = 0.76, RMSEA = 0.059, p_close = 0.28, and critical N = 78. A revised model was developed, and the fit indices suggested an adequate fit with GFI = 0.90, AGFI = 0.84, RMSEA = 0.00, p_close = 0.89, and critical N = 109. These findings provide empirical support for Lazarus' theory on stress, appraisal, and coping. The findings also verify the beneficial effects of the nursing intervention of PSI on ICU patients.