Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: The communication between nurse and user that is in critical units with vital commitment is limited by sedation, mechanical ventilation, and presence of endotracheal tube, interfering in the delivery of care. Aim: analyze in the published scientific literature how communication is carried out between nursing professionals and the critically ill adult patient. Methodology: Integrative review in various databases were made, 13 articles fulfill the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. As exclusive criteria articles developed in pediatric users and other hospitalization services were considered. Results: From the selected articles arose three topics: (a) Methods of communication critical user-nurse, (b) User’s perception of the communication nurseuser, (c) Limiting factors in the communication nurse-critical user. Conclusions: The assistance activities of the nursing in the units of critical care are centered almost entirely in the actions derived from the diagnostic and medical treatment, relegating the emotional aspects to the background. It exists a need of training in communication abilities to guarantee that every nurse working with users critically ill is able to establish an effective communication with the patient and his environment, because the nurses should be agents to potentiate changes and generate humanized care