Nursing+staff

= Nursing Staff =

 Nurses carry out a huge responsibility where patient care is concerned pre- and post-surgery.

Before the surgery, Nurses are in charge of conducting a pre-assessment recording the patients (Yates, 2000):
 * Blood pressure
 * Pulse.
 * Respiration.
 * Weight and height (BMI).
 * Urine analysis.

The nurse is then responsible for providing the patient with certain information such as (Malkin, 2009; Yates, 2000):
 * Date and time of operation
 * Time for nil by mouth (when the patient has to stop eating pre-surgery)
 * Time to arrive at the ward
 * What to bring to hospital
 * Immediate effects of surgery and general anaesthetic
 * Discharge procedures such as:
 * Drugs to take out
 * Post-operative wound/mouth care
 * Recovery period and time off work
 * Follow up appointment
 * Emergency contact numbers for any problems
 * Written information (often just verbal) about surgery and length of stay if patient is asked to remain in hospital for longer.

Post-surgery tasks involve (Malkin, 2009):


 * Encouraging tooth brushing or rinsing (depending on the type and extent of oral surgery performed on the patient) to reduce infection, gingivitis and plaque build up.
 * Sponge swabs: Used as moisture delivery for unconscious patients primarily
 * Using Paraffin on the patient's lips to keep them moist and prevent cracking.
 * Conducting regular oral/ visual assessments to monitor healing of oral lesions.
 * Monitoring the patients nutritional intake.
 * Sticking to prescribed drug treatment and regime (often recommended by maxillofacial surgeon/ prosthodontist/ plastic surgeon).
 * Regular changing of dressings
 * Cleaning of wound if possible/ recommended.

A large majority of patients will also experience swallowing difficulties for many reasons due to the tumor presence and subsequent removal (Carrau, 1999). This means they are also specially trained in accommodating for these problems, such as having patients with Tracheotomies and dealing closely with Speech and Language Therapists who are brought in for specialist swallowing care.

The nursing staff are not only present for the physical help post-treatment such as changing dressings and monitoring the site of lesion, but nursing staff have also been found to be in strong positions to help the morale of the patients (Rapidis et. al, 1980). They are often the first point of contact for not only the patient during the post-operative phase, but also the family so they play a huge role in passing on information and advice of care. Next Profession