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ABSTRACT
The goal was to validate a non-verbal communication model for nursing care
delivery to blind clients, based on the reference framework by E.T. Hall (1986). This
methodological research was developed at the LabCom_Saúde research lab of the
Nursing Department at Ceará Federal University between October 2007 and June
2008. Fifteen blind people and 15 nurses were selected for each group, i.e. trained
and non-trained, both with the same characteristics. The blind were contacted
through the Ceará State Association of the Blind (ACEC) and the nurses through
the Academic Centers (CAs). In the non-trained group, data were collected in April
2008 through consultations. These took place inside the LabCom_Saúde and data
were collected through movie recordings. The studies carried out about Hall’s
theory (1986) represented the first step to construct the model. The nursing
consultation was subdivided in four phases, which were called care phases. In each
phase, orientations are given for the nurse’s actions and the action is described, as
well as how this action should take place. Care phase 1 refers to the organization of
the environment to develop the Nursing Consultation (CEnf). In care phase 2, the
nurse should receive the patient at the entry of the consultation room to introduce
him/her into the environment where the consultation will take place, greet the
patient and inform where furniture and objects are located. Care phase 3 addresses
the development of the CEnf itself. Care phase 4 constitutes the final phase of the
non-verbal communication model and focuses on how to end the consultation and
close off communication with the patient. After its construction, the Model was
submitted to face and content validation. It was analyzed by three specialists in
non-verbal communication specialists, a number already adopted in earlier studies.
The suggestions included in the model referred to range, presentation form and
content representativeness. Next, the second validation phase started, through
which the model was tested. The nurses and blind people were trained in terms of
the communication techniques that are important in the use of non-verbal
communication as well as the use of the Model with blind people. Data were
collected with the help of three film cameras that recorded the entire nursing
consultation among the nurse, the blind and the companion, if present. To analyze
the movie data, three other judges were chosen, who were nurses and students
from the Graduate Nursing Program at Ceará Federal University, master’s and
doctoral level. They were trained on how to use to nurse-blind non-verbal
communication analysis instrument (CONVENCE) and the model validation
instrument. As this was a double-blind study, the judges were not informed about
which group – control or experimental - they were analyzing. The collected data
were inserted in an electronic worksheet, using SPSS software, version 14.0, and
analyzed as absolute frequencies through univariate table. To analyze the
association between the variables and the nurses in the control and experimental
groups, the chi-square (χ2) test and the maximum likelihood estimation were used.
Guidelines for research involving human beings were complied with, in accordance
with Resolution 196/96 by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. The comparison between
care phase 1 actions in the trained and non-trained group showed that the trained
group obtained excellent results (p<0.0001) on four of the five items under analysis.
The only exception was the “temperature” item, with an approximately equal
proportion on the scale. Table 3 shows that, when comparing care phase 2 actions
between the groups, the trained group obtained an excellent result (p<0.05) on all
items under evaluation. Hence, statistically significant associations were found for