Therapeutic Touch on Pain, Delirium, Sleep, and Physiological Parameters

Evaluation of the Effects of Therapeutic Touch on Pain, Delirium, Sleep, and Physiological Parameters in Intensive Care Patients

The study was conducted to determine the effects of therapeutic touch applied to intensive care patients on pain, delirium, sleep and physiological parameters.

This study aims to evaluate the effects of therapeutic touch on pain, delirium, sleep, and physiological parameters in surgical intensive care patients. Patients will be assessed at 24, 48, and 72 hours. The intervention and control groups will be randomized. The intervention group will receive routine care and therapeutic touch, while the control group will receive only routine care. Parameters will be assessed before and after each measurement.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients who volunteer to participate in the study,
• Patients aged 18 and over who receive post-surgical treatment at the Surgical Intensive Care Unit of Aksaray Education and Research Hospital,
• Patients who do not have communication problems (hearing, speaking, understanding, etc.),
• Patients who have received treatment in the surgical intensive care unit for at least 72 hours,
• Patients with RASS: between -3 and +4 and Glasgow coma scale: 10 and above,
• Patients who use only non-steroidal drugs as analgesics,
• Patients whose medical diagnosis is not dementia,
• Patients who do not have a mental state disorder/psychological disease and do not use sleeping pills.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who developed complications in the ICU after surgery,
• Patients who received treatment in the surgical intensive care unit for less than 72 hours.