A patient on long-term mechanical ventilation becomes very frustrated when he tries to communicate. Which of the following interventions should the nurse perform to assist the patient?
A) Assure the patient that everything will be all right and that he shouldn't become upset.
B) Ask a family member to interpret what the patient is trying to communicate.
C) Ask the physician to wean the patient off of the mechanical ventilator to allow the patient to talk.
D) Ask the patient to write, use a picture board, or spell words with an alphabet board.
Ans: D
Feedback: If the patient uses an alternative method of communication, he'll feel in better control and be less frustrated. Assuring the patient that everything will be all right offers false reassurance, and telling him not to be upset minimizes his feelings. Neither of these methods helps the patient to communicate. In a patient with an endotracheal or tracheostomy tube, the family members are also likely to encounter difficulty interpreting the patient's wishes. Making them responsible for interpreting the patient's gestures may frustrate the family. The patient may be weaned from a mechanical ventilator only when the physiologic parameters for weaning have been met.
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