Visual and auditory stimulation for patients in the intensive care unit: A mixed-method study

Area of Science:

• Critical care medicine
• Patient experience
• Sensory stimulation

Background:

• Intensive care units (ICUs) present challenges of sensory overload and deprivation, negatively impacting patient outcomes.
• Current practices involve television, photographs, and music, but virtual reality is largely unexplored in this setting.
• Patients and nursing experts participated in this study to explore preferences for sensory stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify optimal types, content, and durations of visual and auditory stimuli for ICU patients.
• To explore patient and expert opinions on sensory interventions in the ICU.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods exploratory-descriptive study was conducted.
• Data were collected via structured interviews with 19 former ICU patients and semi-structured interviews with 12 nursing experts.
• Participants were from a Swiss university hospital.

Main Results:

• Both patients and experts agreed that visual and auditory stimuli are beneficial for ICU patients.
• Nature-focused photographs and television were preferred visual stimuli, with virtual reality also noted.
• Audio stimuli should complement visual content for distraction; recommended durations are 10-15 minutes for visual and up to 60 minutes for auditory stimuli.

Conclusions:

• Visual and auditory stimuli are desired by ICU patients and can help mitigate sensory overload and deprivation.
• Tailored sensory interventions may improve patient outcomes in the intensive care unit.