A quasi-experimental nursing study on pain in comatose patients. / Uma pesquisa quase experimental em enfermagem sobre dor em pacientes em coma.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: to verify whether comatose patients feel pain during the bed bath nursing procedure. METHOD: nineteen patients aged 61 ± 17.39 years participated in the study. A quantitative analysis was conducted on the P substance (PS) in the saliva collected before and during a bed bath, using the ELISA method. Program Graph Pad Prisma 6 was used to analyze the data. The verification of normality was made through the Shapiro Wilk test, which determined the choice for the Wilcoxon nonparametric test. RESULTS: the study showed a statistically significant increase (∆= 5.62%, p<0.001) in the PS level of the patients studied during the nursing procedure. CONCLUSION: when caring for comatose patients during a bed bath, professionals cause or add painful stimuli; therefore, they feel pain.