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A check without speaking

Illustrated Story B07, with a text transcript.

Read story B07: A check without speaking (image and text)

Six-panel illustrated story, A check without speaking. Kojo, a young Black man, is awake in intensive care with a breathing tube. His partner asks how delirium can be assessed without speech. The nurse explains that some checks use non-verbal responses and checks his attention. She says the whole assessment matters. His partner asks what it showed and what happens next. Kojo has no speech bubbles. Footer: Intensive care teams can check for delirium without speech. — A breathing tube can stop someone speaking, but it does not prevent every assessment of delirium. Intensive care teams can use checks that do not need spoken answers when the person is awake enough.

You can ask what assessment was used, what it showed and what the team will do next. Information about the person’s usual thinking and communication is useful too. Being deeply sedated (made very sleepy by medicines) or in a coma (unconscious) is not the same as having delirium.

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Story text

Panel 1. Kojo is awake, but cannot speak.
Panel 2.
- Emma: How can you check for delirium if he can’t talk?
Panel 3.
- Nurse: We can use checks that don’t need spoken answers.
Panel 4. The nurse checks his attention.
Panel 5.
- Nurse: We consider the whole assessment.
Panel 6.
- Emma: What did it show, and what happens next?

Bottom band. Intensive care teams can check for delirium without speech.

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