According to the theory of medical psychology, human health and illness are influenced by various factors such as biology, psychology, and society. ICU mainly receives critically ill or postoperative patients, most of whom have complex conditions and can cause great physical pain and psychological stimulation. Surgery is a serious source of psychological stress for patients, directly affecting their normal psychological activities, and may even affect the effectiveness of surgery and later recovery. Therefore, we should pay attention to the psychological activities of patients during the nursing process.
1. Analysis of the psychological state of intensive care unit patients
(1) Stress and fear psychology. Many emergency intensive care unit patients are unfamiliar with advanced medical equipment, equipped with emergency ICUs such as ventilators, blood filters, and a series of complex operations carried out by medical staff, which can cause psychological stress in patients. Some are a vague sense of unease, while others are worried, nervous, and afraid about their own illnesses. ICU does not have a "time sensitive" environment, with constantly bright lights that do not know day or night, and cannot produce sound or move around. This kind of environment can easily make patients feel uneasy and generate psychological pressure.
(2) Lack of confidence in treatment. Due to the fact that the patients entering the intensive care unit are all critically ill emergency patients, witnessing the deaths and struggles of patients in the same room, coupled with a lack of understanding of treatment plans and medical technology, it is easy to develop negative thoughts, lose confidence in treatment, and even refuse treatment.
(3) Loneliness and anxiety psychology. The intensive care unit operates under a completely closed management mode and does not allow visits. No family partner, lack of communication with external parties. For medical staff, the ICU has a high level of work stress, and everyone is often busy with rescue work, neglecting communication with patients. The tense atmosphere and visual overload can have a greater impact on patients' psychology.
(4) Irritable psychology. One is pain. The pulling of the incision and catheter can cause a sense of pain, affecting the patient's comfort and leading to symptoms such as anxiety and insomnia. The second is the impact on sleep, as the patient's sleep is also an implicit stimulus, except during the day Nighttime nursing activities, as well as the treatment of underlying diseases and the mechanical, alarm, and tracheal suction sounds of instruments, bring abnormal psychological stimulation to patients, causing them to feel that the emergency room is not quiet, disrupting their biological clock and sleep deprivation, directly affecting their mood and exacerbating their irritability.
(5) Shame mentality. In the emergency intensive care unit, due to the need for rescue and treatment, patients often need to expose their bodies, and sometimes medical staff are in a hurry, ignoring the protection of personal privacy, which damages the patient's self-esteem.
(6) Contradictory psychology. Long term chronic diseases often recur, and hospitalization often involves both fear of death and fear of implicating family members, resulting in a conflicting mentality of survival and inability to seek death.
(7) Anxious and desperate mentality. In people's minds, the concept of "critically ill patients entering the intensive care unit" is associated with the "gradual process towards death". However, relatively speaking, the number of deceased patients in the intensive care unit is relatively concentrated. Some patients have a long course of illness and are repeatedly hospitalized for treatment. Psychologically, ICU hospitalization costs are high. In addition to basic hospitalization and general treatment and nursing expenses, there are also special testing fees and expensive material costs, which bring heavy economic burden and mental burden to patients Make it difficult for them to cooperate with treatment with peace of mind.
2. Psychological care for patients in the intensive care unit
(1) Familiarity with the ICU environment: For patients who are about to enter the ICU, medical staff should briefly introduce the ICU situation to patients, reduce postoperative fear of the special environment in the ICU, and introduce ICU doctors and nursing staff to patients, so that they understand that medical staff have rich experience in monitoring and treatment, which can ensure the safety of patients. It is very beneficial for patients to develop a sense of dependence on medical staff after surgery. Basic care and daily care for patients, as well as allowing patients to see nursing staff in their field of vision, are also very beneficial for patients to develop a sense of dependence on medical staff after surgery. Familiarize oneself with basic equipment, set the monitoring alarm volume reasonably according to the patient's condition, reduce the amount of nighttime alarms, and even if there are unfamiliar situations, patients will reduce tension and anxiety.
(2) Improving the ICU environment: reducing the noise generated by equipment and staff is beneficial for alleviating patients' anxiety and nervousness. When the patient is in a normal sleep state, try to avoid affecting the patient as much as possible, and do not let them see the rescue scenes of other patients, in order to reduce adverse stimulation to the patient. The ICU environment should strive for warmth and ease the patient's tension.
(3) Help patients stabilize their emotions. ICU patients face more adverse diseases than ordinary patients, and their prognosis may even be threatened by death, making them prone to restlessness and unpredictable emotional changes. Nursing staff should try their best to maintain patients' calm and stable emotions, and patiently and meticulously educate them.
(4) Pay attention to communication and interaction with patients and their families. Nursing staff must pay attention to the needs of the patient's family, understand the important role of family members in the patient's treatment and rehabilitation, explain the patient's condition, prognosis, and how family members can cooperate with the work. Strive for the cooperation of family members, educate them to stabilize their emotions, and cooperate with nurses to build patients' confidence in recovery.
(5) Maintain patient self-esteem: Minimize the frequency and duration of patient exposure as much as possible, pay attention to covering up when changing dressing, catheterization, enema, and assisting defecation, use screens to cover up or wear medical gowns, and provide reasonable explanations for patient requests.
(6) After the surgery, when the patient is awake, nursing staff should kindly inform the patient that the surgical effect is good, which is the greatest comfort and encouragement to the patient. Nurses should understand and observe patients who are in pain and restlessness, and try to find ways to help them relieve their pain. If appropriate painkillers are given.
Nursing is the process of providing services for human health, and critically ill patients require more psychological care. So providing patients with a good psychological environment not only plays a positive role in promoting health recovery, but also enables patients to actively cooperate with treatment and care.