Use of Family Photographs Reduces Restlessness in Neurocritical Care Patients

BACKGROUND: Patients admitted to the neuroscience intensive care unit often experience varying states of confusion and restlessness. The purpose of this study was to examine restlessness in acutely confused patients through use of familiar photographs. METHODS: This randomized prospective pilot study placed family photographs (photos) on the bedrail of confused patients during the night shift (8 pm to 4 am) in a neuroscience intensive care unit. Wrist actigraphy was used to examine restlessness when patients were turned to face the photos versus when they were not facing the photos. RESULTS: The 20 patients enrolled provided 34 nights worth of data during which 32 640 actigraph readings were obtained. On the first night of study, the odds of wrist movement were higher when the patient was facing the photos compared with not (odds ratio, 1.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.42-1.61). During subsequent nights, the odds of wrist movement were lower when the patient was facing the photos compared with not (odds ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-0.90). CONCLUSION: Use of familiar photos does not change restlessness, agitation, or delirium on the first night of observation. However, the use of familiar photos may decrease restlessness on the subsequent nights. There are important subjective observations from researchers and family that suggest all subjects had a noticeable response when initially seeing the familiar photos.