부산대학교 도서관

This article reported the experience of caring an 80 years old female patient with lumbar spinal stenosis undergoing lumbar fusion surgery. The patient was worried about whether she could recovery from the surgery due to misunderstanding the process of surgery. The case even developed negative emotional state such as helplessness, and the muscle strength was not immediately restored after surgery. The data were collected through conducting physical assessment, observation, conversation, and direct care from May 24 to June 1, 2016. The Gordon's 11 functional health patterns were used as a guidance to perform evaluation and analysis. The identified health problems included: anxiety, pain, impaired physical mobility, and powerlessness. The caring plan included actively providing health education, introducing similar patients to share experiences, offering music to reduce anxiety, having the patient discussing pain treatment with physicians, providing pain medication, deviating patient's attention, and maintaining comfortable position to reduce pain level. We also collaborated with physical therapists to develop rehabilitation goals, and used a 'Vertebral postoperative exercise check list' to guide rehabilitation activities to enhance muscle strength and maintain appropriate physical activity level. We helped the patient understand her current physical conditions, encouraged her participate in self-caring plans and decision-making process, alleviated her symptoms of discomfort, identified the support system, looked for support from her beliefs, enhanced her confidence level and re-enforced self-confidence to improve the feeling of powerlessness. This caring experience may provide a reference for other nursing staff who care for similar patients.