Employment of the Nursing Process to Facilitate Recovery from Surgery: A Case Study

Abstract

The nursing process is a tool to promote evidence-based practice as nurses identify and address problems for each individual patient. In this article, the author reviews the nursing process and applies it to a new surgical procedure used today in the area of women’s health for breast reconstruction. This procedure, the Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator technique, often referred to as the DIEP technique, is a breast reconstruction method for women who have had a mastectomy. After discussing the baseline assessment for a patient planning a DIEP procedure, the author leads the reader through the identification of applicable nursing diagnoses and relevant outcome identification, care planning, and implementation processes to meet desired outcomes. A comprehensive plan of care, based on the assessment, is developed in this article, with a focus on the outcomes of improved care, reduced pain, and faster recovery from this major surgery. Goals associated with the nursing care for patients having this procedure are evaluated. The author then discusses how using each of the steps of the nursing process facilitates the nursing care given to these patients. She concludes that the use of the nursing process promotes a quicker recovery with a reduced use of narcotic pain medications.