Case Studies of the Effects of Orienting Stimuli on the Electroencephalogram and Levels of Coma
type: CreativeWork
description: A comatose patient has long been a problem for nurses. Even though this problem has been recognized, very few studies have been conducted by the nursing profession to determine the best course of treatment for these patients. The physical care of the comatose patient has been dealt with in many nursing texts; in contrast, that portion of the care which the nurse could direct to the arousal of the comatose patient has not been documented. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of orienting stimuli on the individual level of consciousness as measured by Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores and the electroencephalogram (EEG) in four comatose patients. The problems were: (1) to investigate whether brain activity was predictive in assessment of the comatose patient as measured by the EEG; (2) to investigate whether levels of coma were predictive in assessment of the comatose patient as measured by the GCS; (3) to define the effectiveness of a planned series of orienting stimuli in producing more normal brain waves, and/or arousal as noted on the EEG; and (4) to integrate this new-found knowledge into the nurse's repertoire of care for the unconscious patient. These were stated in the form of null hypotheses listed as follows: (1) there will be no difference In the EEG of selected patients either during or after orienting stimuli; (2) there will be no predictive value to the EEG when related to levels of coma; (3) there will be no difference in the GCS of selected patients either during or after orienting stimuli; and (4) there will be no predictive value to the GCS when related to levels of coma. The variate variable of this study was the use of stimuli. The sample was a convenience sample. The criteria for the sample selection were designed to eliminate as many of the uncontrolled variables as possible. Patients who met these criteria were selected. Family con- sent was obtained. Patients were provided orienting stimuli in the form of tapes from family and tapes …
abstract: A comatose patient has long been a problem for nurses. Even though this problem has been recognized, very few studies have been conducted by the nursing profession to determine the best course of treatment for these patients. The physical care of the comatose patient has been dealt with in many nursing texts; in contrast, that portion of the care which the nurse could direct to the arousal of the comatose patient has not been documented. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of orienting stimuli on the individual level of consciousness as measured by Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores and the electroencephalogram (EEG) in four comatose patients. The problems were: (1) to investigate whether brain activity was predictive in assessment of the comatose patient as measured by the EEG; (2) to investigate whether levels of coma were predictive in assessment of the comatose patient as measured by the GCS; (3) to define the effectiveness of a planned series of orienting stimuli in producing more normal brain waves, and/or arousal as noted on the EEG; and (4) to integrate this new-found knowledge into the nurse's repertoire of care for the unconscious patient. These were stated in the form of null hypotheses listed as follows: (1) there will be no difference In the EEG of selected patients either during or after orienting stimuli; (2) there will be no predictive value to the EEG when related to levels of coma; (3) there will be no difference in the GCS of selected patients either during or after orienting stimuli; and (4) there will be no predictive value to the GCS when related to levels of coma. The variate variable of this study was the use of stimuli. The sample was a convenience sample. The criteria for the sample selection were designed to eliminate as many of the uncontrolled variables as possible. Patients who met these criteria were selected. Family con- sent was obtained. Patients were provided orienting stimuli in the form of tapes from family and tapes …
author: Muderspach, Ina
author: Swanson, Marcia
language: English
keywords: Nursing, Coma; Electroencephalography
date published: 1980-06-01T07:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:53:08Z
provider: Loma Linda University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Loma Linda University