부산대학교 도서관

This article describes a nursing experience of caring for a 28-year-old female patient post-strabismus surgery secondary to exotropia of the right oblique muscle at a post-anesthesia care unit. The nursing care period was seven hours from 10:35 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. on May 5, 2015. The author collected the data through direct care, patient observation, patient interview, and physical examination. Three identified nursing problems included acute pain and an altered comfort pattern: nausea/vomiting and anxiety. The author increased the frequency of visiting the patient to establish a good nurse-patient relationship, assessed the patient's surgical incision pain with the appropriate application of an ice pack, and taught the patient about relaxation skills through deep breathing for pain relief. The author implemented other nursing functions, such as assisting the patient when sitting in a semi-Fowler's position and cleaning the patient's mouth to improve nausea and vomiting. The patient was encouraged to express her internal feelings and anxiety. The primary physician directly explained the disease to the patient to relieve her anxiety. From this care experience, the author learned about empathizing the patient's care needs, lessening her discomfort through authentic listening, companionship, deep breathing relaxation, and distraction from pain. The author also recognized that the patient's anxious reaction was secondary to a knowledge deficit about her disease. Additionally, the author reinforced pre-operative relevant patient education and offered patient educational sheets. Arranging the patient and family to visit the post-operative recovery room may help decrease their anxiety due to the strange surroundings in the post- anesthesia care unit.