Nurses' attitudes in caring for the comatose head-injured patient

This descriptive study investigated nurses' attitudes in caring for the comatose head-injured patient. Attitudes were also examined to see if differences occurred based on the unit where the nurse worked or on the number of comatose head-injured patients cared for in the previous year. A convenience sample of 48 nurses in three units responded to a questionnaire using an adaptation of the Osgood Semantic Differential Scale. Means, standard deviations, and a series of one-way analyses of variance were computed on the questionnaire's 25 adjectival pairs. Overall, attitudes were slightly positive toward caring for the comatose head-injured patient when all scales were analyzed. No confirmation was obtained that a difference in attitude existed among the three units. One significant difference occurred when the scales were examined by the number of head-injured patients cared for in the previous year.