Effect of Auditory and Tactile Stimulation on the Level of Consciousness and Physiological Parameters in ICU Patients...

To evaluate the effectiveness of multisensory stimulation in enhancing consciousness levels and physiological parameters among critically ill patients in the ICU.

A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group pretest-post-test design was employed. Seventy-one patients with Glasgow Coma scale (GCS) scores below 13 were recruited through convenience sampling. Participants were divided into an experimental group (n = 34), which received multisensory stimulation twice daily for 7 days, and a comparison group (n = 37), which received standard ICU care. Physiological indicators (heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, temperature, SpO₂, and glucose) and consciousness levels (GCS) were determined before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0, with statistical significance established at p ≤ 0.05.

Experimental and comparison groups showed significant differences in consciousness from day 4 to 7 with higher GCS scores in the experimental group. Repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated improvement in GCS scores from the evening of day 2 till day 7 (p = 0.05). In contrast, the comparison group experienced a higher incidence of physiological adverse events such as tachycardia and bradycardia.

Multisensory stimulation is a safe and effective method to enhance consciousness in critically ill patients without inducing adverse physiological effects. Early integration of MSS into ICU protocols is recommended. Further research is needed to explore MSS's efficacy across diverse medical conditions.