Identifying environmental stressors perceived by patients treated in cardiovascular surgery intensive care unit

After cardiovascular surgery, significant number of patients in intensive care require long term intensive care support. Postoperative Intensive Care Unit experience of patients, the development of both medicine and technology, along with the environmental and physical characteristics of the intensive care unit, cause numerous physiological and psychological stresses. Identification of the stressors perceived by the patients enables the patient's care and treatment to be done in a more qualified and effective way. In this study, the stressors perceived by the patients who were treated in the Cardiovascular Surgery Intensive Care Unit of Karadeniz Technical University, Medical Faculty, Farabi Hospital were determined. Data were collected using the "Intensive Care Unit Environmental Stressors Scale" and the patient identification form. Patients who has no communication problem, who were being treated in intensive care unit at 48-72 hours, who is older than 18 years and who accepted to participate study voluntarily are included in the study. Data were analyzed using the basic descriptive statistics, Independent Sample T-Test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskall Wallis test. According to the results of the study, the most stressors perceived by the patients were found to be in pain, lack of privacy and being attached to the tubes. Additionally, the longer the patients stay in the intensive care unit, the higher the perceived stress level and cardiovascular surgery patients perceive being thirsty stressor more than other patients.