Abstract

• For the purpose to clarify the effects of nursing, intervention with comfort measures which promote rest, exercise and sleep on the patient's rehabilitation, this study was carried out on 119 postoperative patients at St. Mary's Hospital, the National Medical Center and Seoul Red Cross Hospital during the 9 months period from March 1971 to November 1971. In this study one experimental nursing approach was utilized; an emphasis on interpersonal techniques along with physical care-comfort measures. A daily evening care including support and instruction was given to facilitate interaction of nursing to the experimental group by the investigator. For the control group, routine hospital nursing care was performed. The nursing observation was fall- owed for 4 days postoperatively and recorded in check list. The results of the findings were as follows. 1. 3.5% of control group and 32.3% of experimental group got out of bed within 24 hours postoperatively. 38.6% of control group got out of bed within 72 hours postoperatively where only 16.1% of the experimental group did (x2= 19.865, p<0.005). Interaction in nursing is, in turn, significantly more effective than the usual routine care in improving rate of healing. 2. The irritations and tension that may interfere patient's sleep and rest at night can be reduced to a minimum if nursing environment is better controlled with planned nursing care for individual patient. Various treatments which tend to give patient discomfort may preferably be performed before 6 p.m. if not absolutely indicated. 3. During 4 days of observation the patients without administration of sedat- ives and analgesics postoperatively were 25.9% in the experimental group where as 10.5% in the control group. The frequency of administration of sedatives and analgesics in average was 1.4 in the experimental group, and 2.0 in the control group. This indicates that not all postoperative discomforts expressed by the patients should be regarded as incision pain, and those discomforts could be relieved to a certain extent by nursing interventions effectively. 4. There were significant differences between the responses to nursing care given in the experimental group and 33% of the control group in average through 4 days of observation responded "good". 3.6% of the experimental group and 17. 1% of the control group responded "poor" in this study. It was recommended that the study be replicated in a more defined and controlled manner. Some alternative areas for investigation were suggested.

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