An evaluation of the illness perceptions and comfort levels of refugee and Turkish intensive care patients

An evaluation is needed of how refugee and Turkish patients in intensive care cope with the emotional situation, how they manage the illness on their own, their problem-solving skills and their perceptions of illness, and research is needed into the effects of these factors on general comfort levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of illness and the comfort levels of Turkish and refugee patients in intensive care units. The population of this descriptive and cross-sectional study was 240 intensive care patients. Data collection was by face-to-face interview using a Sociodemographic Characteristics and Information Identification Form, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ) and the General Comfort Questionnaire Short Form (GCQ-SF). Means, standard deviation, maximum-minimum, Spearman correlation, the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskall Wallace H test analysis were used in the analysis of data. The total IPQ score mean was found to be 37.45±7.14, and that of the GCQ was 99.88±13.23. A strong negative correlation was found between the total scores of the IPQ and the GCQ (p<0.05, r= -0.724). It was seen in the study that as the total IPQ score increased, the total GCQ score fell. In line with these results, it is recommended that the factors affecting illness perception and comfort levels in Turkish and refugee individuals be more comprehensively evaluated by nurses and the health team, and that scientific studies be increased.