Use of technology in the communication of the laryngectomized person: good care practices

Abstract

Communication is one of the most important aspects of nursing care. Individuals submitted to total laryngectomy experience complex and frustrating communication problems, and should be informed prior to surgery on these changes, so that alternatives to verbal communication can be identified and combined, to be used after the surgical procedure. At post-operative period, persons
adopt gestures, writing, nodding and labial mimicry as alternative and/or augmentative communication strategies, which can be unsatisfactory and inconsistent. For optimize communication, other alternative and/or augmentative strategies of communication as well as consistent methods of communication should be explored. In this sense, the use of portable electronic devices (mobile phones, tablets, laptops) that have software installed for communication, easily accessible and easy to use, can optimize the communication of the voiceless person, including people undergoing total laryngectomy, for facilitate their adaptation, enhance their sense of independence and promote better care. Portable electronic devices are an important tool to improve communication, which offer several advantages and benefits (increased awareness and social acceptance of the use of alternative and/or augmentative communication strategies, empowerment, user’s ease in accessing communication solutions and high functionality). The aim of this article is to identify interventions to optimize communication, using portable electronic devices and to describe their use in order to improve the quality of nursing care, promoters of effective communication in the person submitted to total laryngectomy in the perioperative period.