Enhancing the Communication of Suddenly Speechless Critical Care Patients.

Background: Sudden speechlessness is common in critically ill patients who are intubated or have had surgery for head and neck cancer. Sudden inability to speak poses challenges for hospitalized patients because strategies to facilitate communication are often limited and unreliable.

Objective: To determine the impact of a technology-based communication intervention on patients' perception of communication difficulty, satisfaction with communication methods, and frustration with communication.

Development of a communication intervention to assist hospitalized suddenly speechless patients.

Healthcare staff face significant challenges while caring for hospitalized patients experiencing sudden inability to verbalize their needs (sudden speechlessness). Familiar methods of communication such as non-verbal strategies are limited and often fail to assist suddenly speechless patients (SS) communicate their needs. Consequently, strategies tailored to the needs of hospitalized speechless patients are necessary, and must consider factors intrinsic to the patients and the complexities of the acute care environment.