THE EFFECT OF TOUCH ON THE VITAL SIGNS OF AGITATED PATIENTS UNDERGOING MECHANICAL VENTILATION: AN INTERVENTIONAL STUDY

Agitation of patients undergoing mechanical ventilation can influence their vital
signs and treatment process. Vital signs increased due to patients’ agitation, and it can delay patient’s
healing process. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of touch on the vital signs of
agitated patients undergoing mechanical ventilation.
Materials & Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design that
performed on 35 agitated patients (with Richmond scores of +2-+4) that undergone mechanical
ventilation. Intervention applied in two modes: being present beside patient with and without wrist
touching. The vital signs (heart rate, respiration rate, temperature, systolic and diastolic blood
pressure) measured before and after intervention. Finally the data analyzed by descriptive and
inferential (kolmogorov-smirnov and t tests) statistics in 5% p-value.
Results: Results showed in presence on patients besides mode with wrist touching, there was a
significant decrease in heart rate, respiration and systolic blood pressure to another mode (P<0.001).
However, there was no significant difference in temperature (P=0.651) and diastolic blood pressure
(P=0.116) in two modes.
Conclusion: The findings shows applying touch in agitated patients undergoing mechanical
ventilation can be considered as an appropriate strategy in controlling vital signs