Young adults with permanent ileostomies: experiences during the first 4 years after surgery.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of young adults living with a permanent ileostomy. The theoretical foundation for the study was narrative knowing. PARTICIPANTS: Seven young adults with a permanent ostomy for less than 4 years participated. Respondents included 3 men and 4 women between 24 and 40 years of age. METHOD: Using narrative inquiry as the method, data collection involved face-to-face interviews lasting from 1 hour to 2(1/2) hours. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. The transcriptions provided data to construct each participant's story. RESULTS: Common and divergent themes were identified across the stories and considered within the biophysical, psychological, and social components of participants' stories. Common themes were associated with disease processes, hospitalization, and social and personal adjustments for living with a permanent ileostomy. SUMMARY: The participants' stories provided a glimpse into their lives and the strength and courage they needed to adjust to living with an ileostomy. Healthcare providers seemed to underestimate these difficulties.

Evaluation of an evidence-based education program for pressure ulcer prevention.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate a standardized education workshop for 2 levels of nursing staff. DESIGN: The quasi-experimental design required that nurses' knowledge be measured before and after education. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: The convenience sample included registered nurses (N = 595) and licensed practical nurses (N = 59) employed in three acute care hospitals with a total bed capacity of 1,760. INSTRUMENTS: The Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Test, including true-false questions, was selected and compared with updated literature and the evidence-based standards developed for the acute care hospitals. Minor changes resulted in a revised 53-item questionnaire for which content validity and reliability were established. The questionnaire was pilot tested before use. METHODS: The intervention, the standardized education workshop, included risk assessment, prevention, and wound staging, as described in the literature. The dependent variable, knowledge of pressure ulcer prevention and treatment, was measured at 3 time points: immediately before (pre) and after (post 1) the workshop and 3 months later (post 2). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures. RESULTS: Overall, knowledge scores for the total group were significantly higher from pre to post 1 and from pre to post 2 but significantly lower from post 1 to post 2. Registered nurses' scores were significantly higher than those of licensed practical nurses from pre to post 1. CONCLUSION: The evidence-based pressure ulcer education was effective in increasing registered nurses' and licensed practical nurses' knowledge and was presumed to increase consistency of the knowledge and awareness of practice standards.