How to Improve Communication While Mechanically Ventilated

Communicating with somebody who is mechanically ventilated can be a challenge because the tubes prevent the other person from speaking. There are, however, methods to improve communication with somebody in this condition. While there will be no verbal communication until the tube is removed, you can still communicate successfully with a mechanically ventilated individual.

Things You'll Need

• Dry erase board
• Eraser

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Instructions

• 1

  Listen to the person's grunts. The sounds may be largely unintelligible, but you may be able to make out what he is trying to say through his grunting and body language.

• 2

  Ask yes or no questions. The person you are trying to communicate with might still be capable of answering questions with the traditional head movements. If you do not know what he wants, try guessing until you get it right. He will shake his head no if you guess wrong and he may be able to gesture toward what he wants.

• 3

  Implement an eye-blinking answer system. If the person is unable to move his head, have a number of eye blinks to communicate common requests or answers such as "Yes," "No," or "I'm hungry." Pay attention for when he wants to say something and watch his eyes carefully to count the blinks so you do not get his request wrong.

• 4

  Give the person a dry erase board. If the person is capable of writing, a dry erase marker board will make communication easier. The person will be able to write his requests down in plain language so there will be no misconception of what he wants. Make sure to erase the message so he can write down his next request later on.