A Study to Assess the Stressors of the Intensive Care Unit Patients' and to Compare these with the Nurses' Perception in Selected Hospitals of Karnataka State

An intensive care unit is a specialized unit for monitoring the critically ill patients. However this environment is unsettling and frightening for the patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the stressors of the ICU patients and the nurses' perception of these stressors. A descriptive survey was undertaken and data was collected using structured questionnaires from a sample of 75 ICU patients and 75 nurses working in ICUs of Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. The top five stressors identified were: not being able to sleep, financial worries, not able to fulfill family responsibilities, being in pain, frequently being pricked by needles. The patients ranked the Physical Stressors the most stressful, followed by Psychological Stressors and Environmental Stressors. The nurses were able to perceive 4 out of top 5 stressors and also the Physical Stressors as the most important stressor of ICU patients. This shows that the nurses are aware of the fact that ICU is stressful for the patient and the different stressors affecting the patients. However the nurses' rating of the ICU patients' stressors was higher than that of the patients' stressors (59.53 vs 41.84). This shows that the nurses overemphasize the stressors of the ICU patients. The findings from this study provide a set of baseline information to the health care providers, with which to provide better care for the patients in ICU.