Nurses attitudes towards reconstructive surgery

ABSTRACT

Nurses holding certain attitudes towards cosmetic surgery patients may affect their behavior with their patients, and consequently patients care. The aim of this study is to describe nurses attitudes towards cosmetic surgery patients. 134 nurses graduated from secondary schools of nursing and worked at least one year experience as permanent members of the staff in the burn unit, plastic surgery, and all surgical wards in the Main University Hospital in Alexandria have been selected. The results revealed that both cosmetic and surgical nurses have positive attitudes related to healthy concern of cosmetic patients about their physical appearance. On the contrary, most of the general surgery nurses expressed positive attitudes towards cosmetic surgery patients overly concerned about their physical appearance. In addition, more cosmetic nurses have positive attitudes towards both their enjoyment in providing nursing and provision of the same quality of care for cosmetic patients than the general surgery patients. More general surgical nurses expressed difficulty in providing care for elective cosmetic surgery patients and were not convinced with the necessary for the indication of elective cosmetic surgery than the cosmetic nurses. It was also found that more married more experienced cosmetic and general surgical nurses have positive attitudes towards cosmetic surgery patients than single and less experienced ones of both nurses. It is recommended to improve the general surgical nurses attitudes towards cosmetic surgery through an in-service training program about comprehensive care of the elective cosmetic surgery patients