Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate clinical nurses' viewpoint of patients with consciousness disturbance. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 nurses caring for patients who have lost spontaneous speech due to consciousness disturbance. Interview contents were analyzed using text mining software. Nurses' clinical viewpoints were then divided into the following 16 categories: [parts of the body]; [vital signs]; [comparison to usual condition]; [understanding the patient's intended meaning]; [action, reaction]; [level of consciousness]; [expression]; [pain]; [limb movement]; [skin condition]; [mouth movement, speech]; [eye movement]; [mentality]; [neurological signs]; [symptoms and pathology]; and [living environment]. Principal component analysis was performed to elucidate relationships between the categories. Five factors were extracted, and the first principal component was termed "movement involved both the body and mind". In order to find anomalies, nurses observed the deviation from a patient's usual mental and physical state.
