Communicating with the unconscious patient

The health professional caring for the unconscious patient is inclined to assume that it will be pointless to attempt to communicate with him or her. There are however valid reasons to talk to the unconscious individual. On the one hand it is a sign of respect and proper care and concern towards both the patient and the family. On the other hand evidence exists in various forms that speech can affect physiological function even in the unconscious and that in some instances there is even a potential for cortical response. Although one cannot know to what extent an unconscious patient experiences the voice, it has been suggested that talking to the unconscious patient could favourably affect the recovery process.