The healing process, the road to recovery and positive mental health

This paper is designed to explore and examine the experience of loss following a hysterectomy. The painful aftermath of the ordeal and the work involved in the healing process are outlined and discussed from both a personal and professional perspective. The manuscript highlights a number of inner struggles that had to negotiated before an equilibrium in mental health and wellbeing was successfully achieved. The forces that move the dialogue forward from one theme to the other are complex in their simplicity. The enigmatic dimensions of physical pain and emotional torment are expressed and worked through in a sensitive and intimate manner. The mysteries of internalized, conflicting messages on socialization issues, such as gender roles and living in and identifying with only one culture are discussed and debated. In addition, the disharmony between spiritual ideals, the meaning and purpose of life, the process of self-actualizing and the physical realities involved in living are identified and elaborated upon. Embroidered within the tapestry of the text is the need to revisit the curriculum for the education and training of mental health nurses to enhance the quality and provision of effective, humane and therapeutic nursing care.

The quality and management of written information presented to women undergoing hysterectomy

A study of a random sample of hospitals in England that provide information leaflets for women undergoing hysterectomy indicates a large variation in quality. In general, the findings reveal that written information for patients is given a relatively low priority. Production and dissemination of information for hysterectomy patients is somewhat ad hoc. It is not clear that any evaluation of the leaflets has been conducted to prove the efficacy of the available literature. While the majority of leaflets include information deemed essential by past hysterectomy patients, the presentation of the recovery process often implies no control for the patient, and conceives normality with a narrow perspective about what healthy behaviour means for women. The provision of a specific timetable for resumption of housework duties in 65% of the leaflets is a case in point. On the basis of the results of the survey, recommendations are made concerning the improvement of the standard of patient information leaflets.

Early discharge schemes for hysterectomy patients

This review looks at the needs of hysterectomy patients discharged early from hospital. The author explores the concept of early discharge schemes and evaluates whether they can be safe, cost effective and provide quality care. Reflection on these factors suggests that an early discharge scheme could be a way to provide choice, and fulfill expectations of quality, holistic care and cost effectiveness, while allowing the nurse to work as an expert practitioner.

The hysterectomy experience: an ethnographic study

Women who undergo a hysterectomy typically experience preoperative symptoms that severely affect quality of life. The purpose of this study was to understand the hysterectomy experience from the informants' perspective. The research design chosen was ethnography. Research aims included (a) describing the quality of life before hysterectomy, (b) understanding the decision-making process involved in having a hysterectomy, (c) describing the knowledge base women have about hysterectomies, (d) describing concerns and fears about hysterectomies, (e) making comparisons before and 3 months after the hysterectomy, and (f) discovering what advice women give each other about hysterectomies. Ethnographic interviews were conducted and analyzed according to the Spradley method. The informants provided researchers with valuable advice for professionals caring for women who elect to undergo a hysterectomy.

Attitudes and knowledge about hysterectomy: a study of women in Mmabtho

Thirty women aged 18 to 50 years (mean age = 28) completed a questionnaire measuring attitudes and knowledge about hysterectomy. The results showed that almost 60 percent of the respondents lacked knowledge about the procedure and that educational level made no significant difference to knowledge about hysterectomy. The data also indicated that many respondents were uncertain about hysterectomy. Analysis of the reasons given for their attitudes showed that many women held unfounded fears about the procedure. It is recommended that efforts be made to change the negative perception of hysterectomy.

Using Orem's Model

My actual knowledge of care plans and nursing models was non-existent until my conversion course to RGN in 1989. I found it difficult to grasp and at times a paper exercise. A care plan should be used as a link between the outpatient's nurse and ward nurses involved with the patient's primary care and the personnel in theatre responsible for the patient. The purpose of nursing documentation is to show that care has been planned for each individual patient; to inform nursing staff and others involved in delivering care; to record changes in the patient's condition or care; to maintain continuity of care.

Home visiting for a posthysterectomy population

There are many valid indications for providing home visits to posthysterectomy clients. In-home assessment of the client's status permits immediate care or referrals and saves unnecessary acute care visits to emergency rooms and physicians' offices. Nursing interventions have identified holistic healthcare needs and prevented other problems from developing. Assisting the clients in developing their problem-solving abilities enhances the goal of return to self-care during the immediate postoperative follow-up and afterward. Finally, the vital role the clinical nurse specialists can play in the healthcare system is more clearly established for these consumers of care.

Development of a postoperative self-assessment form

This paper describes a patient self-assessment form developed for use in a research study examining early discharge and transitional nursing follow-up care for women with abdominal hysterectomy. Transitional care nursing involves preparation for an early discharge from the hospital and nursing follow-up for convalescence at home through an 8-week recovery period. The goal of transitional care is to assist the client in regaining her preoperative level of self-care. This article will include a brief overview of the ongoing research study, a description of the role of the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) in transitional care, and the use of the self-assessment form. The form is applicable to numerous clinical settings.

Laparoscopic hysterectomy

1. Laparoscopic hysterectomy obviates the need to create a traditional large abdominal incision. Through the laparoscope, surgical steps similar to those of a traditional abdominal hysterectomy are done prior to removal of the uterus via the vagina. 2. The dramatic improvement in postoperative recuperation in laparoscopic hysterectomy is the result of several factors: avoidance of laparotomy incision; minimal degree of traumatized and devitalized tissue as finer instrumentation is used; minimal use of suture material, reducing the chance of tissue reaction; and avoidance of postoperative bowel function compromise. 3. In the long run, laparoscopic hysterectomy will not replace all traditional abdominal and vaginal hysterectomies. Not all hysterectomies are candidates for laparoscopic surgery, such as patients with large pelvic masses or marked distortion of the anatomy due to various disease processes (ie, cancer).

A comprehensive education and support program for women experiencing hysterectomies

Women undergoing hysterectomies require special education and emotional support. A new comprehensive program of nursing interventions helps assist women in coping with hysterectomies. Nurses, combining their skills in gynecologic and mental-health nursing, conduct presurgery classes, provide information and support during hospitalization, and offer a postdischarge support group to hysterectomy patients. This article includes descriptions of the program's development process, class content, and ways in which continuity of care is provided.