Abstract

FERREIRA DA MATA, Luciana Regina; CALDAS FERREIRA, Taciana  and  CAMPOS DE CARVALHO, Emília. Nursing actions in the perioperative period and in preparing prostatectomy patients for discharge. Invest. educ. enferm [online]. 2013, vol.31, n.3, pp.406-413. ISSN 0120-5307.

Objective. To identify nursing actions in the perioperative period and in preparing prostatectomy patients for discharge. Methodology. Cross-sectional, retrospective study. Data were collected from medical record of patients who underwent partial or total prostatectomy between August 2009 and August 2010 at hospitals in Divinopolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Results. A total of 121 patients were identified; the mean age was 67 years. The most frequent diagnosis was prostate cancer (70%). Main preoperative activities were measuring vital signs (55%), administering drugs (52%), educating patients about fasting (50%), and managing edema (45%). After surgery, the most frequent tasks were measuring vital signs (100%), measuring urine and emptying the urinary bag (100% for each), facilitating the healing of surgical wounds (77%), and evaluating Penrose drain discharge (48%). Among the 25 types of care observed, the activity that nurses performed most often for patients about to be discharged was providing education about urinary catheter manipulation (16%). Conclusion. This study identified weaknesses in care delivery for prostatectomy patients, particularly regarding home care education.

Keywords : nursing care; prostatectomy; perioperative care; patient discharge.

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