The projected dropout rate was
set at 30%, considering factors such as average length of
stay in the neurosurgical intensive care unit and transfers to
other hospitals, and for the initial stage of the study, 25 participants
for the experimental group and 26 for the control
group were recruited. At the end, the study group consisted
of 37 participants in total, with 19 in the experimental group
and 18 in the control group.