How can we interact with sedated patients who are seemingly unable to express themselves? On the basis of these questions, we chose to realize a qualitative phenomenological study aimed at comprehending communication with the sedated patient from the perspective of the nurses who take care of those patients. Ten individual interviews were realized with intensive nurses from a Hospital School in São Paulo. After data analysis, four general thematic categories were revealed: communication with sedated patient x sedation degree; communication with sedated patient x attributed perception capacity; valuation of communication with sedated patient; forms of communication with the sedated patient. This research concluded that the communication with the sedated patient exists and occurs at different moments and in different ways through verbal and non-verbal communication.
communication; unconsciousness; intensive care units