Patients' Perceptions of Experiences of Postoperative Chest Drain Tube Insertion: A Pilot Survey.

BACKGROUND: Pleural drainage is a routine procedure conducted after thoracotomy and thoracoscopy. It is used to remove air or excess fluid from a pleural cavity and enables proper lung expansion. Essential elements of care provided during hospitalization and treatment include meeting patients' growing expectations and continually improving quality while optimizing safety. AIM: This study aimed to explore patients' experiences with pleural drainage after thoracic surgery and their correlation with socio-demographic data. METHODS: A pilot survey with an exploratory design was conducted at a large teaching hospital in Poland, in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the University Clinical Centre in Gdansk. The study involved the analysis of 100 randomly selected subjects with a chest tube drain. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect social, demographic, and clinical data. Twenty-three questions related to experiences with pleural drainage, ailments, limitations in daily functioning, and security with a chest tube were evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale. Patients completed the questionnaire on the third postoperative day. RESULTS: Individuals fitted with a traditional water-seal drainage system felt safer than those from the digital drainage group (p = 0.017). Statistically significant differences were found in the assessment of nursing assistance (p = 0.025); the number of satisfied patients was greater in a group of unemployed people. No correlation was found between demographic and social factors and the patients' sense of security (gender: p = 0.348, age: p = 0.172, education level: p = 0.154, professional activity: p = 0.665). CONCLUSIONS: Demographic and social characteristics did not significantly affect patients' sense of safety with chest drainage types. Patients with traditional drainage felt significantly safer than patients with digital drainage. Patient knowledge of pleural drainage management was not satisfactory, with a number of patients indicating a lack of knowledge in this area. This is important information that should be considered when planning measures to improve the quality of care.

Assessment of Oral Health in Long-Term Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition Patients: Significant Aspects of Nursing Care.

Oral health is an underestimated factor affecting overall human health and quality of life. Long-term enteral or parenteral nutritional treatment requires not only regular assessment of access routes, the patient's nutritional status, and tolerance to the selected method of nutrition but also of oral health. This article discusses the connections between the influence of chewing function, salivation, and xerostomia on the health of the oral cavity of patients on long-term enteral and parenteral nutrition. In addition, the role of nurses in assessing oral health is presented as well as crucial elements of a comprehensive oral assessment in a nursing care plan. Patients receiving long-term enteral and parenteral nutrition have an increased risk of developing oral diseases. Increasing knowledge about the factors affecting oral health among nurses is crucial to provide appropriate care for patients requiring long-term nutritional treatment with omission of the natural route of food intake. Regular assessment of oral health by nurses should be an important aspect in long-term nutritional treatment recommendations.

Assessment of the Quality of Nursing Care of Postoperative Pain in Patients Undergoing Vascular Procedures.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of nursing care of postoperative pain management in patients who underwent vascular procedures. DESIGN: A survey using patient questionnaires. METHODS: The sample was composed of 100 patients, aged 52 to 86 years, admitted to the Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Surgery, University Clinical Centre, Gdansk, Poland. The study included the use of an interview questionnaire, that is,.e. a standardized research tool-the Strategic and Clinical Quality Indicators in Postoperative Pain Management scale and a questionnaire designed to record sociodemographic characteristics. FINDINGS: Analysis of the data indicated that the most numerous group of patients were men (80%). The total mean score obtained with the Strategic and Clinical Quality Indicators in Postoperative Pain Management scale was 59.2 points (range, 14 to 70) meaning that the high quality of nursing care in each area was not provided. The results of this research revealed areas for improvement in postoperative pain management on the subscales: communication (12.9 points), action (15.3 points), and environment (12.5 points). CONCLUSIONS: The overall level of quality of nursing care in terms of postoperative pain management as reported by patients after vascular procedures was not fully satisfying, and nursing care should improve. This indicates the need to educate nurses in postoperative pain management, its monitoring and prophylaxis, and communication techniques with patients. Our study indicates that gender, place of residence, education level, and satisfaction with pain management influence the assessment of the quality of care.