[Relatives' opinions of the nursing discharge summary in infants who have undergone surgery]. / Opinión de los familiares acerca del informe de alta de enfermería en el lactante quirúrgico.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the utility of the nursing discharge summary and the degree of satisfaction with the information received by the relatives of infants' after surgery. METHOD: We conducted an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study in the infants unit at the Juan Canalejo University Hospital Complex in La Coruña (Spain). A total of 110 patients were included, all aged between 1 month and 2 years, who were hospitalized between January and December 2006. A telephone survey was performed among the relatives of selected infants, using an adapted questionnaire consisting of eleven questions related to the aim of this study. RESULTS: Eighty-five families were surveyed. The nursing discharge summary was given to 98.8% of the families. During hospitalization, 91.8% of the parents received information about the care to be continued at home. The relatives surveyed gave nursing explanations a mean score of 4.6 points (SD = 0.61) (1 "bad", 5 "excellent"); 96.5% considered the contents of the nursing discharge summary to be adequate, and 97.6% found the information easy to understand. A total of 17.6% resorted to the primary health care center to continue with care and 7.1% to clarify doubts. The mean score for overall satisfaction with the summary was 4.67 points (SD = 0.54) out of a possible maximum of 5 points. CONCLUSIONS: The nursing discharge summary used in the infants' unit provides the relatives and guardians of infants with sufficient information that is easy to understand and matches their needs. We highlight the high degree of satisfaction with the summary.

Opinión de los familiares acerca del informe de alta de enfermería en el lactante quirúrgico / Relatives’ opinions of the nursing discharge summary in infants who have undergone surgery

Objetivos. Conocer la utilidad del informe de alta de enfermería y la satisfacción con la información recibida por los familiares de lactantes intervenidos quirúrgicamente. Método. Estudio transversal, observacional, descriptivo, realizado en la Unidad de Lactantes del Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Juan Canalejo en A Coruña. Se seleccionaron 110 pacientes con edades comprendidas entre 1 mes y 2 años, hospitalizados entre enero y diciembre de 2006. Se realizó una encuesta telefónica a los familiares de los niños seleccionados, empleando un cuestionario adaptado, que consta de 11 preguntas relacionadas con el objetivo del estudio. Resultados. Se encuestaron un total de 85 familiares. El informe de alta de enfermería se entregó al 98,8% de los padres, un 91,8% de ellos recibió información durante el ingreso del niño acerca de los cuidados que se tenían que seguir en el domicilio. Los familiares consultados dan a las explicaciones de enfermería una valoración media de 4,6 (desviación estándar [DE] = 0,61)(1 “mala”, 5 “excelente”), mientras que un 96,5% considera adecuados los contenidos del informe de alta de enfermería, y un 97,6% considera que la información fue fácil de entender. El 17,6% acudió al centro de salud para la continuación de cuidados y el 7,1% para aclarar dudas. La valoración global de la satisfacción con el informe fue 4,67 (DE = 0,54), sobre una puntuación máxima de 5. Conclusiones. El informe al alta de enfermería utilizado en la unidad de lactantes ofrece a los familiares de los niños una información suficiente y fácil de entender, y los contenidos se adecuan a sus necesidades. Destaca el alto grado de satisfacción con el informe de alta de enfermería por parte de la familia

Objectives. To determine the utility of the nursing discharge summary and the degree of satisfaction with the information received by the relatives of infants’ after surgery. Method. We conducted an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study in the infants unit at the Juan Canalejo University Hospital Complex in La Coruña (Spain). A total of 110 patients were included, all aged between 1 month and 2 years, who were hospitalized between January and December 2006. A telephone survey was performed among the relatives of selected infants, using an adapted questionnaire consisting of eleven questions related to the aim of this study. Results. Eighty-five families were surveyed. The nursing discharge summary was given to 98.8% of the families. During hospitalization, 91.8% of the parents received information about the care to be continued at home. The relatives surveyed gavenursing explanations a mean score of 4.6 points (SD = 0.61) (1 “bad”, 5 “excellent”); 96.5% considered the contents of the nursing discharge summary to be adequate, and 97.6% found the information easy to understand. A total of 17.6% resorted to the primary health care center to continue with care and 7.1% to clarify doubts. The mean score for overall satisfaction with the summary was 4.67 points (SD = 0.54) out of a possible maximum of 5 points. Conclusions. The nursing discharge summary used in the infants’ unit provides the relatives and guardians of infants with sufficient information that is easy to understand and matches their needs. We highlight the high degree of satisfaction with the summary