Aslan Bahar, Özkan Meral
Department of Surgical Nursing, İnönü University, Faculty of Nursing, Malatya, Turkey.
Nurs Crit Care. 2025 Mar;30(2):e13288. doi: 10.1111/nicc.13288.
Thirst is rarely studied in practice. Even though this condition is experienced intensively in surgical patients, it is still not listed in the nursing diagnoses classification and there is no standard for quenching thirst.
The study was conducted to determine effect of frozen saline and menthol gum on thirst level after abdominal surgery.
This mixed-methods study was conducted between March 2020 and July 2021. A power analysis determined the inclusion of 159 patients. Quantitative data were collected using the Patient Information Form, FOUR Score, Safe Protocol for Early Postoperative Thirst Management, and Numerical Rating Scale. The qualitative stage involved a descriptive study design, with four open-ended questions informed by the literature. After gathering quantitative data, patients were interviewed by phone, and the qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Patients' thirst level in the frozen saline and menthol gum group was lower than the control group at all time (Cohen's d = .217, 95% confidence interval 5.43 to 6.35; p = 0.000). In the qualitative stage, three main themes emerged: thirst experience, post-application opinions and feelings. After the interventions, patients reported that they felt well intensely.
Frozen saline and menthol gum were found to be effective in quenching thirst after abdominal surgery. The patients in the experimental groups expressed their opinions about feeling well after the applications, and the majority of the patients stated that they wanted the application to be repeated.
Despite several attempts to quench thirst, thirst still remains a significant problem in intensive care units. It is felt more commonly and intensely, especially in surgical intensive care patients. However, it is a symptom that is not taken into consideration enough. For this reason, intensive care nurses need to increase their focus on issues of thirst.
在实际应用中，口渴很少被研究。尽管外科手术患者会强烈感受到这种状况，但它仍未被列入护理诊断分类中，且没有解渴的标准。
本研究旨在确定冷冻生理盐水和薄荷糖对腹部手术后口渴程度的影响。
这项混合方法研究于2020年3月至2021年7月进行。通过功效分析确定纳入159名患者。使用患者信息表、FOUR评分、术后早期口渴管理安全方案和数字评分量表收集定量数据。定性阶段采用描述性研究设计，根据文献提出四个开放式问题。收集定量数据后，通过电话对患者进行访谈，并使用主题分析法对定性数据进行分析。
冷冻生理盐水和薄荷糖组患者的口渴程度在所有时间均低于对照组（科恩d值 = 0.217，95%置信区间为5.43至6.35；p = 0.000）。在定性阶段，出现了三个主要主题：口渴体验、应用后的意见和感受。干预后，患者报告他们感觉非常良好。
发现冷冻生理盐水和薄荷糖对腹部手术后解渴有效。实验组的患者对应用后感觉良好表达了意见，大多数患者表示希望重复应用。
尽管多次尝试解渴，但口渴在重症监护病房仍然是一个重大问题。尤其是在外科重症监护患者中，这种感觉更为常见和强烈。然而，这是一个没有得到足够重视的症状。因此，重症监护护士需要更加关注口渴问题。
