Investigation of the effect of oxygen delivery method on vital signs and comfort level

This descriptive analytics study was conducted to examine the effect of oxygen delivery method on vital signs and comfort level. The study population consisted of 84 patients admitted to the general surgery intensive care unit of a university hospital as post-op 0. The study was conducted with two groups: nasal cannula (n=42) and oxygen mask (n=42). The research data were collected from 84 patients who agreed to participate in the study between 11/03/2024 and 22/04/2024 by using the "Patient Identification Form" and "General Comfort Scale Short Form (GCOSF)" with face-to-face interview technique and post-op vital signs follow-up. Data analysis was started by testing the construct validity of the measurement tool. In data analysis, percentage frequency distribution, chi-square test, t test, Kruscal Wallis H test, Mann Whittney U test, ANOVA test, Pearson correlation coefficient. According to the results of the statistical analysis, it was determined that the patients who received oxygen used with oxygen mask felt more psychological discomfort than the patients who received oxygen with nasal cannula, the patients who received oxygen with oxygen mask felt dry mouth and thirst, and the patients who received oxygen with nasal cannula felt irritation/pain in the nose, the mean score of GCOSF was 4.301 in the nasal cannula group and 4.352 in the oxygen mask group, and there was no significant difference between the GCOSF scores of the two methods (p>0.05).When the relationship between oxygen delivery method and vital signs was evaluated; patients with lower SPO2 measured before starting oxygen therapy (post-op minute 0) were given oxygen mask and patients with higher SPO2 were given nasal cannula, SPO2 values measured at post-op 45-60 minutes, 2nd hour and 4th hour were higher in the oxygen mask group and preoperative respiratory rates of patients in the oxygen mask group were higher than those in the nasal cannula group. The SPO2 value measured at post-op 45-60 minutes, 2nd hour and 4th hour was higher in the oxygen mask group and the preoperative respiratory rate of the patients in the oxygen mask group was higher than the nasal cannula group, there was a negative weak relationship between the comfort scores and vital findings of the patients, vital findings were affected by the BMI variable and comfort scores were affected by age and surgery variables. As a result of the study, although there was no difference between the GCOSF scores of oxygen given by two methods, it was concluded that the patients experienced more discomfort in the oxygen mask group when questioned about what they experienced physically and felt psychologically. Post-op SPO2 values of patients receiving oxygen with nasal cannula were found to be lower than the oxygen mask group. It may be recommended to evaluate the comfort of the patients during oxygen administration, to create a care plan in line with the factors affecting comfort, to evaluate the vital signs of the patients, to evaluate the effectiveness of the oxygen delivery method by following the patients in terms of hypoxia findings and to improve the quality of treatment with effective oxygen delivery method.